Tone Review

What is the "tone" of a story?

• The feeling the passage evokes from the reader.

• The author, narrator, or speaker's attitude toward a subject.

• The time and place of the story.

• The summary of events in the story.

Which of the following is not a kind of negative tone?

• angry

• cynical

• harsh

• excited

Which word best describes the tone of the sentence below?

The stunning poem that opens this lovely collection is rich with imagery and language.

• admiring

• bitter

• sad

• hopeful

Which passage below has the most whimsical tone?

• The creature moved its sharp claws over the strange device, and the noise was loud and distracting.

• The lovely fairy danced her long fingers over the harp, and the music carried us gently into a trance.

• The creature played the instrument, and we listened to the music it made.

• The monster produced a terrifying noise, and we tried hard not to scream and give away our hiding place.

Which passage below has the most critical tone?

• On the train, the man slowly clipped his fingernails. He focused on the task, beginning with his pinky finger and finishing with his thumb.

• On the train, the tired, old man began clipping his fingernails. He was trying to distract himself from his loneliness by focusing on this one small task, moving from pinky to thumb.

• The man—right in the middle of the crowded train—began to clip his long, yellow fingernails. He did it slowly, as if he didn't even care that a dozen other people could see and hear him.

• The man on the train clipped his fingernails. It took him 2 minutes and 8 seconds. He started on his pinky and finished with his thumb. When he was finished, he put the clippers back into his jacket pocket.

Which words and phrases from the sentence below best shows you the tone?

That waste of a movie really destroyed my Saturday.

• "waste" and "destroyed"

• "movie" and "of a"

• "that" and "my"

• "really" and "Saturday"

Which of the following passages has the most objective tone?

• I devoted three hours on Saturday to the masterpiece of a movie.

• The movie that I saw on Saturday was three hours of torture.

• On Saturday, I made a three-hour mistake: I saw the movie.

• I saw the movie on Saturday. It was three-hours long.

Which words and phrases best show the sentimental tone in the passage below?

I got out of the old car and took a few halting steps up the driveway. A cloud of warmth drifted out of the window and embraced me like a comforting hug. I knew that smell: fresh bread that Papa had just taken from the oven. I heard the familiar pitch of his whistle as he slowly stirred tomato soup on the stovetop. I ran to open the screen door because, now, I knew where I was. I was home.

• "warmth," "comforting hug" and "home"

• "car," "tomato soup" and "door"

• "old," "halting" and "out the window"

• "driveway," "screen door" and "slowly stirred"

No sooner had she said it than there he was, "Mister Irresistible" himself.  Throwing big, cheesy winks at everyone in the room, walking with a swagger like a cartoon baseball player.  He slithered his way over to their side of the room.
What word would you use to describe the tone of this passage?

• Enthusiastic 
• Serious
• Mocking
• Sorrowful 

Lana was bursting with excitement.  She paced up and down, and every few minutes headed to the window to check for the mail carrier.  When he finally showed up, she ran down the path and stretched out her hand for the mail.  She took a deep breath and, hands shaking, ripped open the envelope.  
What word would you use to describe the tone of this passage?

• humorous 
• persuasive 
• anxious 
• cheerful