Home

Tutoring

Subjects

Live Classes

Study Coach

Essay Review

On-Demand Courses

Colleges

Games

Opening subject page...

Loading your content

  1. ISEE Lower Level Reading Comprehension

  3. Explain how imagery changes how a scene feels to the reader.

ISEE LOWER LEVEL • READING COMPREHENSION

Explain how imagery changes how a scene feels to the reader.

Discover how word pictures make you feel happy, scared, calm, or excited while reading.

SECTION 1

Why Do Writers Paint Pictures with Words?

Have you ever read a book that made you feel like you were really there? Maybe you could almost smell the cookies baking or feel the cold wind on your face. Writers have been doing this for thousands of years! They use special describing words called imagery (words that help you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch things in your mind).

Imagery is one of a writer's most powerful tools. It doesn't just tell you what happened. It makes you feel what happened. Let's look at how this idea grew over time!

800 BC
Ancient Storytellers
Homer wrote poems about heroes and monsters. He described the "rosy-fingered dawn" so listeners could picture a pink sunrise.
1600s
Shakespeare's Plays
William Shakespeare filled his plays with word pictures. He described moonlight, storms, and flowers so the audience could feel each scene.
1800s
Poetry Blooms
Poets like Emily Dickinson used imagery to describe feelings. She wrote about buzzing flies and slanting light to create moods.
Today
Imagery Everywhere
Modern books, songs, and movies all use imagery. On the ISEE, you will be asked how imagery makes a scene feel a certain way.

Here is the big question we will answer today: How do word pictures change the feeling (or mood) of a scene? Once you understand this, you'll be ready to answer ISEE questions about tone and mood. Let's go!

SECTION 2

Core Ideas About Imagery and Feeling

Before we practice, let's learn four big ideas. These are the building blocks you need!

1

Imagery Uses the Five Senses

Imagery describes what you can see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. It puts a picture (or sound, or smell!) right into your brain.
2

Mood Is the Feeling of a Scene

Mood is the emotion you feel while reading. It could be happy, scary, peaceful, or sad. Imagery is what creates the mood.
3

Word Choice Changes Everything

Saying "the bright sun warmed her cheeks" feels happy. Saying "the blazing sun scorched her skin" feels dangerous. Same sun — different words, different feelings!
4

Look for Describing Words

Adjectives (describing words) and verbs (action words) are clues. Words like "gloomy," "sparkling," or "crept" tell you the mood right away.
✦ KEY TAKEAWAY
Think of imagery like the background music in a movie. When the music is fast and loud, you feel excited. When the music is slow and soft, you feel calm. Imagery is the "background music" of a story — it sets the feeling without telling you directly.
SECTION 3

See How Imagery Works — A Visual Guide

Let's look at a diagram that shows how the same place can feel totally different depending on the imagery a writer uses. Check it out!

Same Scene, Different Imagery = Different MoodBoth descriptions are about a forest — but they feel completely different!☀️ HAPPY FOREST"Sunlight danced through thegolden leaves. Birds sangcheerful tunes. The warm breezecarried the sweet smell ofwildflowers."IMAGERY CLUES:👁 See: "sunlight danced," "golden"👂 Hear: "birds sang cheerful tunes"🌬 Feel: "warm breeze"🌸 Smell: "sweet wildflowers"MOOD: Joyful & Peaceful🌙 SCARY FOREST"Shadows crept between thetwisted branches. An owlscreeched in the darkness.The icy wind stung her facewith the smell of rotting leaves."IMAGERY CLUES:👁 See: "shadows crept," "twisted"👂 Hear: "owl screeched"🌬 Feel: "icy wind stung"🍂 Smell: "rotting leaves"MOOD: Frightening & Tense
Notice how both descriptions are about a forest. The Happy Forest uses bright, warm words like "golden" and "sang." The Scary Forest uses dark, cold words like "twisted" and "screeched." Same place — totally different feelings!

This is exactly what ISEE questions test! They give you a passage and ask you how the scene feels. Your job is to find the imagery clues — the describing words that paint a picture — and figure out the mood they create.

SECTION 4

How Imagery Creates Mood — Step by Step

Let's break down exactly how imagery works to change feelings. Think of it like a chain reaction — one thing leads to the next!

The Imagery → Mood Chain1. Writer Picks Words"crackling fire" vs. "raging flames"2. Your Senses Wake UpYou "hear" it, "see" it, or "feel" it in your mind3. You Connect to a MemoryCrackling fire → cozy night; raging flames → danger4. You Feel the Mood!Cozy & warm OR scared & nervous⭐ On the ISEE: Find the imagery → Name the mood!
Follow the arrows from top to bottom. The writer picks describing words, your senses "wake up," you connect to a memory or feeling, and — boom — you feel the mood of the scene!
💡 ISEE Test Tip!
When a question asks how a scene "feels" or what "mood" the author creates, go back to the passage. Circle or underline the describing words (adjectives and strong verbs). Then ask yourself: do these words feel happy, sad, scary, peaceful, or exciting? That's your answer!
SECTION 5

The Five Types of Imagery and the Moods They Create

Writers use your five senses to create imagery. Each type of imagery can create a different mood. Let's see how!

Each sense can make a scene feel happy or sad — it all depends on the words the author picks!
SenseType of ImageryExample (Happy Mood)Example (Sad Mood)
👁 SightVisual"bright, colorful kites floated""gray clouds covered everything"
👂 HearingAuditory"children laughing on the swings""the empty hallway echoed"
👃 SmellOlfactory"fresh cookies filled the kitchen""damp, musty basement air"
👅 TasteGustatory"sweet, juicy strawberries""bitter medicine burned her tongue"
✋ TouchTactile"soft, warm blanket wrapped around him""sharp rocks cut into her feet"
⭐ REMEMBER THIS!
On the ISEE, you don't need to know the fancy names (like "olfactory"). You just need to notice which senses the author is using and whether the words feel positive or negative. That tells you the mood!
SECTION 6

Worked Example — Finding the Mood in a Passage

Let's walk through a practice passage together, step by step. Imagine this is on your ISEE test!

📖 Sample Passage
The old house sat at the end of the lane, its paint peeling like dead skin. A rusty gate squealed when Maria pushed it open. Weeds as tall as her waist grabbed at her legs. Somewhere inside, a shutter banged again and again, like a heartbeat that would not stop.

Question: How does the imagery in this passage make the scene feel?

Finding the Mood Step by Step

Step 1 — Read and Look for Describing Words

Go through the passage and circle every word that paints a picture. Here we find: "peeling like dead skin," "rusty," "squealed," "weeds grabbed," "banged again and again."

Step 2 — Ask: Which Senses Are Used?

Sight: peeling paint, tall weeds. Sound: gate squealed, shutter banged. Touch: weeds grabbed at her legs. The author is using at least three senses!

Step 3 — Ask: Do These Words Feel Positive or Negative?

"Dead skin" — yuck! "Rusty" — old and forgotten. "Squealed" — an unpleasant sound. "Grabbed" — scary, like something catching you. All of these feel negative and creepy.

Step 4 — Name the Mood

The imagery makes this scene feel spooky, eerie, and a little frightening. If the answer choices include "frightening" or "eerie," that's your pick!
Answer: The imagery creates a spooky, eerie mood.

Great job! See how we went through it one step at a time? You can do this with any passage on the ISEE. Just find the imagery, check if it's positive or negative, and name the mood!

SECTION 7

Moods You'll See on the ISEE (and How to Spot Them)

On the ISEE, the answer choices often use specific mood words. Here are the most common ones and the imagery clues that go with them.

Keep these moods and clues in your head on test day!
Mood WordWhat It MeansImagery Clues to Look For
Cheerful / JoyfulHappy and brightSunshine, laughter, bright colors, sweet smells, warm feelings
Peaceful / CalmQuiet and relaxedGentle breezes, soft sounds, still water, flowing, slow movement
Mysterious / EerieStrange and a little scaryShadows, fog, strange noises, dark corners, whispers
Sad / GloomyDown and heavyRain, gray skies, silence, wilting flowers, cold, emptiness
Exciting / TenseFast and thrillingPounding hearts, rushing wind, loud sounds, racing, flashing lights
🎯 TEST STRATEGY
When you see a mood question, use process of elimination (crossing out wrong answers). If the passage has words like "dark," "cold," and "silence," you can cross out "cheerful" and "exciting" right away. Even if you're not sure, eliminating two wrong answers gives you a great chance of picking the right one!
SECTION 8

Imagery Does More Than Set the Mood

Now that you know how imagery creates mood, here's a bonus: imagery can also help with other ISEE question types! Understanding imagery will help you answer questions about the author's purpose, vocabulary in context, and even main idea.

Imagery Helps With...How?
Mood / Tone QuestionsDirectly! Find the imagery and name the feeling it creates.
Vocabulary in ContextThe imagery around a word helps you figure out its meaning. If everything sounds spooky, a word probably means something dark.
Author's PurposeIf an author uses lots of beautiful imagery about nature, the purpose might be to make you appreciate the outdoors.
Inference QuestionsImagery can hint at what will happen next. Dark, stormy imagery might mean trouble is coming.

So learning about imagery isn't just for one type of question. It's a super-skill that helps you across the whole Reading Comprehension section. You've got this!

SECTION 9

Practice Problems

Time to test what you've learned! Read each mini-passage carefully, look for imagery clues, and pick the best answer. Remember — there's no penalty for guessing on the ISEE, so always choose an answer!

PROBLEM 1 — CONCEPTUAL
Read this sentence: "The golden afternoon sun warmed the porch, and the smell of fresh lemonade drifted through the open window." Which word best describes the mood of this sentence?
PROBLEM 2 — BASIC
Read this passage: "Thick fog rolled across the lake. The trees stood like dark giants, their branches reaching out like long fingers. Not a single bird sang." The imagery in this passage mostly appeals to which sense?
PROBLEM 3 — INTERMEDIATE
Read this passage: "Laughter bounced off the walls of the gym. Sneakers squeaked on the shiny floor. The smell of popcorn floated down from the snack bar, and bright streamers hung from every corner." How does the imagery in this passage make the scene feel?
PROBLEM 4 — APPLIED
Read this passage: "The last leaf clung to the bare tree. A cold drizzle soaked through Jenna's coat. The park bench where she and Grandma used to sit was empty and covered in wet brown leaves." The author most likely uses this imagery to help the reader feel —
PROBLEM 5 — CRITICAL THINKING
Read these two descriptions of the same ocean: Description 1: "Gentle waves whispered against the sand. The turquoise water sparkled under a clear blue sky." Description 2: "Waves crashed and clawed at the jagged rocks. The gray water churned beneath a sky dark as smoke." How does the change in imagery between Description 1 and Description 2 affect the way the reader feels about the ocean?
SUMMARY

What You've Learned

Imagery is when writers use words that appeal to your five senses — sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch — to paint pictures in your mind. The mood is the feeling a scene gives you. Imagery is what creates the mood! Warm, bright, sweet words make a scene feel happy or peaceful. Dark, cold, harsh words make a scene feel scary or sad. The same place can feel totally different depending on the words a writer chooses.

On the ISEE, when you see a question about how a scene "feels" or what mood is created, follow these steps: find the describing words, decide if they feel positive or negative, and name the mood. Use process of elimination to cross out answers that don't match the imagery. You're ready — go show that test what you've learned!

Varsity Tutors • ISEE Lower Level • Explain how imagery changes how a scene feels to the reader.