SAT Reading & Writing: Author's Tone
24+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject (e.g., objective, skeptical, enthusiastic, foreboding).
- 2
Tone is created through Diction (word choice) and Details (what the author chooses to include or exclude).
- 3
Objective tone uses neutral, factual language. Subjective tone uses emotionally loaded words ("tragic," "spectacular," "bizarre").
- 4
Questions asking you to maintain the tone require you to select an answer that matches the formality and attitude of the surrounding text.
- 5
Do not choose overly casual ("cool," "awesome") options for a scientific/historical passage, nor overly stiff ("heretofore") for a contemporary piece.
- ✗ Selecting an answer that is factually accurate to the passage but clashes wildly with the established tone.
- ✗ Confusing the character's tone or a quoted source's tone with the author's overarching tone.
SAT-style practice
A formal scientific review discusses the limitations of a new fusion reactor. Which concluding sentence best maintains the established tone?
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