IXL | Compare passages for tone | 12th grade language arts

Select the passage that has a more joyous tone.

It was a time when chance meetings led to long friendships. On the border, a stranger spoke to another stranger if he or she felt like it. They could ask questions if they chose. Partnerships were formed on the spur of the moment, and formality was a commodity little in demand.

It was a rapturous companionship. We enjoyed the vast delight more so because, even in our most ecstatic moments, we were conscious of each other's presence.

Adapted from Joseph A. Altsheler, The Quest of the Four and Fitz-James O'Brien, "What Was It?"

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Select the passage that has a more judgmental tone.

The maggot's cuticle, or skin, is white and smooth to the unaided eye. Using a microscope, however, one can observe rows of tiny spines, which assist the maggot's movements through its food-mass.

Seen under a microscope, the appearance of the louse strikes us with disgust. These loathsome animals, however unwelcome, come in troops, adding to the afflictions of the unfortunate.

Adapted from George H. Carpenter, The Life-Story of Insects and Unknown, The History of Insects

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 second passage is more judgmental in tone. It uses harsh, negative adjectives such as loathsome and unwelcome that demonstrate the author's bias toward the subject. The other passage presents information in a clinical, unbiased tone.

Looking for more? Try this:

$Confetti$

Excellent!

Now entering the Challenge Zone—are you ready?

Questions
answeredQuestions

Time
elapsedTime

hr	min	sec
00	00	06

SmartScore
out of 100
IXL's SmartScore is a dynamic measure of progress towards mastery, rather than a percentage grade. It tracks your skill level as you tackle progressively more difficult questions. Consistently answer questions correctly to reach excellence (90), or conquer the Challenge Zone to achieve mastery (100)! Learn more

Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

T.2Choose the word whose connotation and denotation best match the sentence

B.2Compare passages for subjective and objective tone

C.3Compare passages for tone

Excellent! You got that right!

Jumping to level 1 of 1

Excellent!