Understanding Tone and Mood

Tone is best described as...

• The reader's feeling about the story.
• The author's attitude toward the subject.
• The main theme of the text.
• The setting of the story.

Mood is best described as...

• The author's reason for writing.
• The emotional atmosphere the reader experiences.
• The sequence of events in a plot.
• The author's biographical information.

Which of the following primarily helps create TONE?

• Setting
• Imagery
• Diction (word choice)
• Plot

Which of the following primarily helps create MOOD?

• The author's personal opinions
• Syntax
• Character names
• Setting and imagery

What is the dominant MOOD of this passage?

'The sun was a searing eye in the bleached-white sky, and the air was a thick, suffocating blanket. Every step on the cracked earth was a monumental effort.'

• Joyful
• Mysterious
• Oppressive
• Romantic

"The sun was a searing eye in the bleached-white sky, and the air was a thick, suffocating blanket. Every step on the cracked earth was a monumental effort."

The author's TONE towards the environment described is most likely...

• Admiring
• Negative and unforgiving
• Humorous
• Indifferent

What is the TONE of the speaker?

"Ah, yes, another 'revolutionary' gadget that promises to change my life. I'm sure this one, unlike the last fifty, will actually work as advertised. I can hardly contain my excitement."

• Sincere
• Sarcastic
• Fearful
• Confused

"Ah, yes, another 'revolutionary' gadget that promises to change my life. I'm sure this one, unlike the last fifty, will actually work as advertised. I can hardly contain my excitement."

The passage is intended to make the reader feel a sense of...

• Awe
• Pity
• Amused skepticism
• Genuine excitement

The sentence 'The kitten, a fluffy ball of pure delight, pounced playfully on the yarn' helps create a ________ mood.

• Tense
• Gloomy
• Lighthearted
• Formal

If an author describes a funeral with a detached, clinical TONE, what kind of MOOD might this create for the reader?

• Celebratory
• Uneasy or unsettling
• Peaceful
• Exciting