NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Tone, Register and Author's Attitude 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Read: 'The novelist does not flinch from depicting the brutal realities of township life; indeed, this fearlessness is the source of her greatest artistic power.' The author's attitude toward the novelist is:
- Admiring and respectful (Correct answer)
- Critical and disapproving
- Indifferent
- Ambivalent
Correct answer: Admiring and respectful
'Fearlessness' and 'greatest artistic power' are strongly positive evaluations expressing admiration and respect.
Question 2: Which sentence is written in the most formal register?
- It is anticipated that the forthcoming legislative amendment will have significant implications for trade policy. (Correct answer)
- We think the new law will probably change how trade works.
- The new law is going to be a big deal for trade, apparently.
- Everyone reckons this law will shake things up in terms of trade.
Correct answer: It is anticipated that the forthcoming legislative amendment will have significant implications for trade policy.
Passive construction, formal vocabulary ('anticipated', 'forthcoming', 'legislative amendment', 'implications') and third-person perspective indicate the most formal register.
Question 3: A literary critic writes: 'One might charitably describe the protagonist's decisions as ill-advised, though 'reckless' and 'self-defeating' would be more precise.' The tone is:
- Gently ironic with a sharper underlying judgement (Correct answer)
- Sympathetic and understanding
- Neutral and analytical
- Openly hostile
Correct answer: Gently ironic with a sharper underlying judgement
'Charitably' introduces a mild word only to replace it with harsher ones, a technique of gentle irony masking sharp criticism.
Question 4: A report on youth unemployment states: 'The persistence of youth unemployment represents one of the most serious structural failures of the post-transition economy.' The author's attitude is:
- Concerned and critical of systemic failure (Correct answer)
- Optimistic about youth employment prospects
- Indifferent to economic structure
- Sympathetic to government policy
Correct answer: Concerned and critical of systemic failure
'Serious structural failures' is a strong negative evaluation of economic performance — the tone is concerned and critical.
Question 5: An email from a student to a lecturer begins: 'Hi! Hope ur well :) I was wondering if maybe I could get an extension??' What is the primary register problem with this email?
- It uses informal register where formal register is required (Correct answer)
- It uses formal register where informal register is required
- It is too long and detailed
- It fails to state the subject clearly
Correct answer: It uses informal register where formal register is required
Greeting ('Hi!'), abbreviation ('ur'), emoji, and casual punctuation ('??') are inappropriate in formal academic communication.
Question 6: Read: 'The proposal has considerable potential, yet the absence of a clear implementation timeline remains a significant concern.' The author's overall attitude is:
- Guardedly positive — supportive but with reservations (Correct answer)
- Enthusiastically positive
- Strongly negative
- Completely neutral
Correct answer: Guardedly positive — supportive but with reservations
'Considerable potential' is positive, but 'significant concern' and 'absence of' show reservations — the stance is guardedly positive.
Question 7: A newspaper headline reads: 'City Hall Fiddles While Cape Town Burns.' This is an allusion to the saying about Nero fiddling while Rome burned. The headline's tone is:
- Accusatory — blaming authorities for inaction during a crisis (Correct answer)
- Nostalgic for historical events
- Light-hearted and humorous
- Neutral and informative
Correct answer: Accusatory — blaming authorities for inaction during a crisis
The allusion to Nero implies that leaders are negligently inactive during a crisis, creating an accusatory tone.
NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Tone, Register and Author's Attitude 5
Read: 'The novelist does not flinch from depicting the brutal realities of township life; indeed, this fearlessness is the source of her greatest artistic power.' The author's attitude toward the novelist is: