There are a lot of different words to describe positive feelings. A writer can have a celebratory attitude, or she can have a hopeful, excited or reflective feeling. Admiring, lighthearted and sympathetic are positive feelings, too. On the other hand, a negative feeling could be frantic, selfish, bitter or skeptical. Even if the feeling isn't positive or negative, there is still a feeling. Every piece of writing has one. Sometimes, the feeling can be neutral. You might describe a neutral feeling as impartial or objective. Which of the following passages has the most neutral feeling ? HINT: Neutral has no opinion.

In 1925, people were sick and planes couldn't land in Nome, Alaska. Teams of dogs delivered the medicine.

Do you know about the brave dogs in Nome, Alaska, who saved the town in 1925?

The people of Nome, Alaska were in big trouble in 1925. It was up to the dogs to save them.

The hero dogs in Nome, Alaska, did what no pilot could do: they brought medicine to the town.

Struggling to depict the facial features, Liza threw down her paintbrush. She sighed in frustration. She was a landscape painter and not a portrait artist. Liza preferred to paint broad strokes of lakeside scenes and blue skies. Reproducing every aspect of a person’s face was a painful exercise class with a boot camp instructor. She needed to express her art without worrying about tiny details, like the cleft in someone’s chin. What does the word “sighed” contribute to the feeling of the text?

It makes Liza seem enthusiastic.

It makes Liza seem incompetent.

Read the following sentence: The man stretched slowly, then continued his sluggish walk down the street. How would the meaning of the sentence change if the author used the word " unhurried " instead of the word " sluggish "?

the man wold seem more talented

Read the following passage: My grandmother is thrifty . She never throws out old clothes and saves all her jars to reuse as glasses. How would the meaning of the sentence change if the author used " cheap " instead of the word " thrifty "?

the grandmother would seem ungenerous

the grandmother would seem unknown

the writer would seem uncertain

Read the following passage: "How could you do this?" the painter screeched . "How could you paint that wall blue? It should clearly be orange!" How would the meaning of the sentence change if the author used the word "whimpered" instead of the word "screeched"?

The painter would seem more pathetic

The painter would seem more powerful

The painter would seem more joyful

The painter would seem more intelligent

Read the following sentence: A flock of flamingos slowly picked their way across the lawn towards the Gupta family where they stood waiting. How would the meaning of the sentence change is the author used the word "mob" instead of the word "flock"?

The flamingos would seem more threatening

The flamingos would seem friendlier

The flamingos would seem more elegant

The flamingos would seem more indifferent

In which of the following examples does the underlined word have a positive feeling?

The water overflowed the banks of the river .

The neighbors were noisy last night.

The cod is a fish that is caught in the Northern Atlantic Ocean.

In which of the following examples does the underlined word have a negative feeling?

The neighbors were noisy last night.

The water overflowed the banks of the river .

The cod is a fish that is caught in the Northern Atlantic Ocean.

Author's Word Choice Quiz

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

3 mins • 1 pt

Read this sentence from the article.

There are few migrations as dramatic and frightening as when the desert locust are moving across Africa.

What does the author mean by the word dramatic in the sentence above?

easy

entertaining

exciting

exhausting

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

3 mins • 1 pt

Read this sentence from the article.

And in the sudden darkness there is a terrible thunderous noise.

Why did the author use the word thunderous in the sentence above?

to show how soft the noise was

to show how loud the noise was

to show how scary the noise was

to show how scratchy the noise was

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.1

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

3 mins • 1 pt

Read this sentence from the article.
Within minutes they will fly off again, leaving behind them a totally devastated landscape.
What does the word devastated mean in the sentence above?

beautiful

different

interesting

ruined

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

3 mins • 1 pt

Read this sentence from the article.

The whales eat and eat and eat, straining the tiny food through strips of baleen in their mouths.

What does the author mean by the word straining in the sentence above?

to swallow

to push violently

to stretch beyond the limit

to remove by passing through

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.4

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

The music vibrated the floor and shook the walls.

This gives an example of imagery that relates to which sense?

touch

taste

sound

sight

smell

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.4

CCSS.RI.5.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

1 min • 1 pt

"‘You are lazy,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘So your children shall be lazy. They shall be the laziest people in the world. They shall be called the Malazy—the lazy people;’ and he held up his finger to the Moon and said, ‘O Fisherman, here is the Man too lazy to row home. Pull his canoe home with your line, Fisherman."

What word is repeated?

people

Fisherman

lazy

children

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.10

CCSS.RL.4.10

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.10

CCSS.RL.5.6

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

45 sec • 1 pt

"‘You are lazy,’ said the Eldest Magician. ‘So your children shall be lazy. They shall be the laziest people in the world. They shall be called the Malazy—the lazy people;’ and he held up his finger to the Moon and said, ‘O Fisherman, here is the Man too lazy to row home. Pull his canoe home with your line, Fisherman."

Based on word choice what is the feeling of this passage?

anger

humorous

serious

excited

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.10

CCSS.RL.4.10

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.10

CCSS.RL.5.6

8.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.
"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.
"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

What is the feeling of this passage based on the repeated words?

disgust

humorous

disgruntled

exhausted

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

9.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Read the following passage.

This house isn't perfect, but it's where my babies grew up. I know it all by heart. I know every stain on the carpet, every creaking floorboard and every paint chip on the windowsills. Each corner of this small space is filled with memories that I relive when I walk through the narrow hallways.

What words best describe the author's word choice in the passage above?

hopeless and afraid

angry and violent

sentimental and tender

The author doesn't have a tone.

Answer explanation

sentimental and tender

The author's word choice can be seen in the phrases "...where my babies grew up." and "...filled with memories." She has a sentimental and tender attitude toward the subject, her home.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.4.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

10.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Word choice often gives you clues you can use to infer the author's perspective. Words have denotations. That's their definition in the dictionary. They also have a connotation. That's their emotional meaning. For example, a person who is interested in others can be described as "curious" or "nosy." "Curious" has a positive connotation. "Nosy" has a negative connotation. In the same way, a person who likes to take charge could be described as "bossy" or "a leader."

She is a busy body.
Does this phrase have a positive or negative connotation?

positive connotation

negative connotation

Answer explanation

Negative Connotation

A "busy body" is known as a person who is nosy and into everybody's business. It is a negative name.

Tags

CCSS.RI.3.6

CCSS.RI.6.9

CCSS.RL.3.6

CCSS.RL.4.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

Author's Word Choice

50 questions

Read this sentence from the article.

There are few migrations as dramatic and frightening as when the desert locust are moving across Africa.

What does the author mean by the word dramatic in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.

And in the sudden darkness there is a terrible thunderous noise.

Why did the author use the word thunderous in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.
Within minutes they will fly off again, leaving behind them a totally devastated landscape.
What does the word devastated mean in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.

The whales eat and eat and eat, straining the tiny food through strips of baleen in their mouths.

What does the author mean by the word straining in the sentence above?

The music vibrated the floor and shook the walls.

This gives an example of imagery that relates to which sense?

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.
"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.
"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

What is the feeling of this passage based on the repeated words?

sentimental and tender

The author's word choice can be seen in the phrases "...where my babies grew up." and "...filled with memories." She has a sentimental and tender attitude toward the subject, her home.

Negative Connotation

A "busy body" is known as a person who is nosy and into everybody's business. It is a negative name.

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Author's Word Choice

50 questions

Read this sentence from the article.There are few migrations as dramatic and frightening as when the desert locust are moving across Africa.What does the author mean by the word dramatic in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.And in the sudden darkness there is a terrible thunderous noise.Why did the author use the word thunderous in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.Within minutes they will fly off again, leaving behind them a totally devastated landscape. What does the word devastated mean in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.The whales eat and eat and eat, straining the tiny food through strips of baleen in their mouths.What does the author mean by the word straining in the sentence above?

The music vibrated the floor and shook the walls.This gives an example of imagery that relates to which sense?

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness."No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly."Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly. What is the feeling of this passage based on the repeated words?

sentimental and tender The author's word choice can be seen in the phrases "...where my babies grew up." and "...filled with memories." She has a sentimental and tender attitude toward the subject, her home.

Negative Connotation A "busy body" is known as a person who is nosy and into everybody's business. It is a negative name.

Create a free account and access millions of resources

Similar Resources on Wayground

Popular Resources on Wayground

Discover more resources for English

Read this sentence from the article.

There are few migrations as dramatic and frightening as when the desert locust are moving across Africa.

What does the author mean by the word dramatic in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.

And in the sudden darkness there is a terrible thunderous noise.

Why did the author use the word thunderous in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.
Within minutes they will fly off again, leaving behind them a totally devastated landscape.
What does the word devastated mean in the sentence above?

Read this sentence from the article.

The whales eat and eat and eat, straining the tiny food through strips of baleen in their mouths.

What does the author mean by the word straining in the sentence above?

The music vibrated the floor and shook the walls.

This gives an example of imagery that relates to which sense?

"So it is, so it is," said the Mole with great heartiness.
"No, it isn't!" cried the Rat indignantly.
"Well then, it isn't, it isn't," replied the Mole soothingly.

What is the feeling of this passage based on the repeated words?

sentimental and tender

The author's word choice can be seen in the phrases "...where my babies grew up." and "...filled with memories." She has a sentimental and tender attitude toward the subject, her home.

Negative Connotation

A "busy body" is known as a person who is nosy and into everybody's business. It is a negative name.