Identifying Tone Practice Test
•15 QuestionsTimes New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced.
Literary Excerpt
The rain did not fall in sheets; it arrived in careful taps, like someone thinking before speaking. Mara watched it from the bus stop, where the bench was slick and the air smelled faintly of wet pavement. Across the street, the bakery sign flickered, bright for a moment, then tired again. She pulled her jacket closer and tried to remember why she had been excited about today.
The envelope in her backpack felt heavier than paper should. It was only a letter, neatly folded, but it carried the kind of news that rearranges a person’s plans without asking permission. She had read it once at her kitchen table, then twice more, as if repetition might soften the words. It had not. The sentences stayed polite, almost cheerful, which somehow made the message colder.
A car rushed through a puddle, sending a thin wave toward the curb. Mara stepped back just in time, though a few drops still found her shoes. She stared at the dark spots spreading across the fabric and thought, with a small, sharp laugh, that even the weather seemed determined to offer reminders. Somewhere behind her, a student complained loudly about the delay, and the complaint sounded like a song stuck on one note.
When the bus finally appeared, its headlights smeared in the wet air, Mara did not feel relief. She felt motion, which was different. She climbed aboard, found a seat near the back, and watched the town slide by in blurred colors. The streets looked familiar, but they did not look friendly.
She rested her forehead against the cool window and let herself admit what she had been avoiding: sometimes disappointment is not dramatic. Sometimes it is quiet, persistent, and patient.
Which word best describes the author's tone?
Times New Roman, 12-point, double-spaced.
Literary Excerpt
The rain did not fall in sheets; it arrived in careful taps, like someone thinking before speaking. Mara watched it from the bus stop, where the bench was slick and the air smelled faintly of wet pavement. Across the street, the bakery sign flickered, bright for a moment, then tired again. She pulled her jacket closer and tried to remember why she had been excited about today.
The envelope in her backpack felt heavier than paper should. It was only a letter, neatly folded, but it carried the kind of news that rearranges a person’s plans without asking permission. She had read it once at her kitchen table, then twice more, as if repetition might soften the words. It had not. The sentences stayed polite, almost cheerful, which somehow made the message colder.
A car rushed through a puddle, sending a thin wave toward the curb. Mara stepped back just in time, though a few drops still found her shoes. She stared at the dark spots spreading across the fabric and thought, with a small, sharp laugh, that even the weather seemed determined to offer reminders. Somewhere behind her, a student complained loudly about the delay, and the complaint sounded like a song stuck on one note.
When the bus finally appeared, its headlights smeared in the wet air, Mara did not feel relief. She felt motion, which was different. She climbed aboard, found a seat near the back, and watched the town slide by in blurred colors. The streets looked familiar, but they did not look friendly.
She rested her forehead against the cool window and let herself admit what she had been avoiding: sometimes disappointment is not dramatic. Sometimes it is quiet, persistent, and patient.
Which word best describes the author's tone?