IXL | Compare passages for tone | 10th grade language arts

Select the passage that has a more thrilled tone.

It was now quite dark, and as we droned our isolated way eastward and upward, nothing could be seen outside the cockpit except the inner struts, the engines, and the red-glowing vapor ejected through the exhaust pipes.

The elliptical golden object darted into swift and eccentric motion. Its maneuvers suggested the heedless tumblings and scurrying of falling foliage. It fluttered in swift turns and somersaults and spinnings, with indescribably graceful swoops and loops like some preposterous dance.

Adapted from Arthur Whitten Brown, Flying the Atlantic in Sixteen Hours and Murray Leinster, The Aliens

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question

Select the passage that has a more enthusiastic tone.

Tom and Bud were bursting with curiosity. Although the Swifts had been in radio contact with creatures from outer space for many months, this was the most exciting news yet!

It was quite by accident that I discovered an invasion of Earth by life-forms from another planet. As yet, I haven't done anything about it; I can't think of anything to do. I wrote to the Government, and they sent back a pamphlet on the repair and maintenance of frame houses.

Adapted from Victor Appleton, Tom Swift and the Visitor from Planet X and Philip K. Dick, "The Eyes Have It"

key idea

Tone is the attitude that is expressed in a text. A writer's tone can communicate a range of feelings, such as excitement, humor, skepticism, or respect.

Tone is revealed through the language that a writer uses in a text. For example, is the information presented through direct statements or through figurative language? Is the topic described through positive words and phrases or through negative ones? These types of text features can help express different tones.

The city's oppressive heat drove us from shop to shop in search of relief.
Words like "oppressive" and "drove" create an intense, negative tone.

With a population of over thirteen million, the bustling city of London is active day and night.
Words like "bustling" and "active" create a positive and upbeat tone.

solution

The first passage is more enthusiastic in tone. It uses an exclamation point and descriptions such as bursting with curiosity and exciting. The other passage is more neutral.

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Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

V.1Choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the sentence

B.2Compare passages for subjective and objective tone

C.3Compare passages for tone

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