The Dust Bowl: An American Environmental Catastrophe - Mood and Tone - Informational Texts (Grade 6)

Which of the following best describes the overall tone of the passage?

• Humorous and lighthearted

• Somber and cautionary

• Joyful and optimistic

• Confused and uncertain

Answer explanation

The passage uses words like 'catastrophic,' 'devastating,' and 'suffering' to create a serious, somber tone. It ends with a 'powerful warning,' making the overall tone cautionary.

Which word best describes the author's tone in the final paragraph when discussing the government's response and the lessons learned?

• Angry

• Sarcastic

• Depressed

• Cautiously hopeful

Answer explanation

The tone shifts from describing the tragedy to discussing 'solutions' and 'crucial lessons.' This indicates a sense of hope that the problem could be addressed, though it is cautious because it is framed as a 'warning.'

What mood does the author create in the section describing the 'black blizzards'?

• A mood of excitement and adventure

• A mood of peace and tranquility

• A mood of fear and hopelessness

• A mood of curiosity and wonder

Answer explanation

The author uses descriptive phrases like 'relentless plague,' 'choking clouds,' and 'turn day into night' to create a frightening and overwhelming feeling for the reader.

In the passage, how does the phrase 'a relentless plague of dust' affect the tone?

• It makes the dust storms seem like a minor inconvenience.

• It suggests the dust storms were a medical disease.

• It creates a humorous image of the dust.

• It emphasizes the destructive and unstoppable nature of the storms.

Answer explanation

Comparing the dust to a 'relentless plague' makes it sound like a terrible, persistent force that cannot be easily stopped, which contributes to the serious and grim tone of that section.

What is the most likely reason the author adopts such a serious tone to describe the Dust Bowl?

• To entertain the reader with a dramatic adventure story.

• To criticize the farmers who lived during that time.

• To emphasize the event's severity and serve as a warning for the future.

• To provide a list of historical dates and facts without emotion.

Answer explanation

The author uses a serious tone with words like 'catastrophe' and 'suffering,' and concludes by stating the event 'serves as a powerful warning,' showing the purpose is to convey the seriousness and its lessons.

Match the description of each section of the text to the primary mood it evokes in the reader.

• A mood of concern and unease about the cause

• The description of the 'black blizzards'

• A mood of sadness and sympathy for the people

• The description of the Soil Conservation Service

• A mood of fear and being overwhelmed by nature

• The description of unsustainable farming practices

• A mood of cautious optimism for the future

• The description of families abandoning their farms

Answer explanation

The author shifts the mood throughout the passage. The causes create concern, the storms create fear, the migration creates sadness, and the government response creates a sliver of optimism.

Match each word from the passage to the tone it helps to create.

• A constructive and hopeful tone

• solutions

• A tone of hopelessness and urgency

• catastrophe

• A tone of large-scale disaster and tragedy

• desperate

• A cautionary and reflective tone

• lessons

Answer explanation

Each word carries a specific connotation that contributes to the passage's tone. 'Catastrophe' implies disaster, 'desperate' implies hopelessness, 'lessons' implies a warning, and 'solutions' implies hope.

Which sentence from the passage most strongly contributes to its somber mood?

• The storms carried the fine topsoil for thousands of miles...

• Farmers had plowed up millions of acres of native prairie grasses...

• In 1935, it established the Soil Conservation Service...

• This led to a desperate exodus, as an estimated 2.5 million people left their homes...

Answer explanation

This sentence evokes a strong feeling of sadness and desperation by highlighting the massive scale of human displacement and suffering, which is central to a somber mood.

Categorize the following phrases from the text based on whether they primarily contribute to a 'Tone of Tragedy' or a 'Tone of Warning'.

Groups:

(a) Tone of Tragedy

,

(b) Tone of Warning

• a crucial lesson

• must not be repeated

• choking clouds of dust

• a preventable disaster

• human suffering

• homes buried

Answer explanation

Phrases that describe the suffering and destruction contribute to the tone of tragedy. Phrases that reflect on the causes and future implications contribute to the tone of warning.

Explain how the author establishes a cautionary tone in the passage, as distinct from a purely tragic one. Use at least two specific words or phrases and one factual detail from the text to support your explanation.

Answer explanation