IXL | Compare passages for subjective and objective tone

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

Results of a global education survey today show U.S. high school students come in . . . 26th out of 65 places worldwide in combined scores for math, science and reading tests.

Technical chops are just one ingredient needed for innovation and economic success. America overcomes its disadvantage—a less-technically-trained workforce—with other advantages such as creativity, critical thinking and an optimistic outlook.

From Vishakha N. Desai, "The U.S. Must Start Learning from Asia," copyright 2010 by Cable News Network and from Fareed Zakaria, "Why America's Obsession with STEM Education is Dangerous," copyright 2015 by Washington Post

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question

Select the text that has a more objective tone.

Obesity is the result of caloric imbalance—it occurs when too few calories are expended for the amount of calories consumed. This imbalance can be caused by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

If 70% of us are overweight in this country, why are there so many willing to fat-shame people who are not remotely obese? Maybe it's easier to criticize others for carrying extra weight than to admit we have a weight problem ourselves. Because it is abundantly clear we are wallowing in denial.

key idea

Tone is a writer's attitude as expressed in a text.

To establish an objective tone, a writer

maintains a neutral stance towards a topic, regardless of his or her personal feelings;
presents ideas as accurately as possible, supporting ideas with observations and measurable evidence;
avoids loaded language, which has strong positive or negative connotations.

Example: The law has proved controversial, and a protest is planned for March 9.

The writer mentions the protest to provide factual evidence that the law has caused controversy. It's not clear how the writer personally feels about the law.

To establish a subjective tone, a writer

injects his or her own feelings, values, or judgments into the presentation of a topic;
supports ideas with personal opinions and beliefs;
uses strongly emotional or loaded language;
uses personal pronouns, like I, to present topics from his or her perspective.

Example: This outrageous law has invigorated protesters, who will gather on March 9.

The writer includes subjective language, like "outrageous" and "invigorated," which reveals the writer's feelings. It's clear that the writer personally disagrees with the law.

Academic writing generally calls for an objective tone, which helps communicate that the writer is credible and has presented an accurate and unbiased argument. However, a subjective tone is appropriate for some forms of writing, such as personal narratives, opinion pieces, and reviews.

solution

The first text has a more objective tone. It cites statistics to support the claim that people misperceive their weight. The other passage uses subjective language, such as admit we have a weight problem ourselves, abundantly clear, and wallowing in denial.

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B.1Which text is most formal?

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