RLA Author's Purpose and Tone 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A passage includes the line: 'Of course, anyone with common sense would see that this policy is a disaster.' What technique is the author using, and what effect does it have?
- Understatement; makes the problem seem minor
- Loaded language; pressures readers to agree by implying disagreement means lacking common sense (Correct answer)
- Objective reporting; presents the facts clearly
- Foreshadowing; hints at what will happen next
Correct answer: Loaded language; pressures readers to agree by implying disagreement means lacking common sense
Saying 'anyone with common sense' is a form of loaded language that pressures readers to agree or risk appearing foolish.
Question 2: A writer concludes an essay with: 'The evidence is clear, the need is urgent, and the time for excuses is over.' What is the purpose of this concluding style?
- To summarize new information introduced in the conclusion
- To leave the reader with a strong, memorable call to action (Correct answer)
- To soften the essay's argument before ending
- To raise new questions for future research
Correct answer: To leave the reader with a strong, memorable call to action
A tricolon (three-part structure) with urgent, declarative language at the conclusion is designed to leave a strong, memorable impression and motivate action.
Question 3: Which scenario is an example of an author using an objective tone?
- A reviewer calls a film 'a tedious, overlong disappointment'
- A sports reporter writes 'the team scored three goals in the second half' (Correct answer)
- A blogger writes 'you absolutely must try this restaurant before you die'
- An editorialist writes 'the senator's shameless flip-flopping must stop'
Correct answer: A sports reporter writes 'the team scored three goals in the second half'
Reporting a factual game statistic without evaluative language is objective; the other examples all include strong opinions or emotional language.
Question 4: An author writes a biography that focuses only on a historical figure's achievements, omitting controversies and failures. How does this affect the author's purpose?
- It makes the biography more objective
- It shifts the purpose toward celebrating and honoring rather than providing a complete account (Correct answer)
- It reduces the author's credibility and clarity
- It turns the biography into a work of fiction
Correct answer: It shifts the purpose toward celebrating and honoring rather than providing a complete account
Selective inclusion of only positive events shifts the work from neutral biography toward hagiography, with a purpose of celebrating the subject.
Question 5: A student reads a passage and notices that the author compares a proposed tax to 'theft from hardworking citizens.' This comparison is best understood as:
- An objective analogy to explain how taxes work
- Loaded language designed to create a negative emotional reaction toward the tax (Correct answer)
- A neutral metaphor with no persuasive intent
- A technical term used by economists
Correct answer: Loaded language designed to create a negative emotional reaction toward the tax
Comparing a tax to 'theft' is emotionally charged language intended to make readers view the tax negatively—a common persuasive technique.
Question 6: In a speech, a speaker says: 'I know what it's like to struggle—I grew up in poverty.' The speaker's purpose for sharing this is most likely to:
- Distract the audience from the topic
- Establish credibility and create an emotional connection with the audience (Correct answer)
- Provide statistical evidence for a claim
- Define a key term for the audience
Correct answer: Establish credibility and create an emotional connection with the audience
Sharing personal experience establishes ethos (credibility) and pathos (emotional connection), common strategies in persuasive speaking.
Question 7: A passage about urban farming uses both data ('cities waste 40% of their food supply') and personal stories ('Maria grows enough tomatoes to feed her family and three neighbors'). The author combines these to:
- Confuse the reader with too much information
- Appeal to both logic and emotion to strengthen the overall argument (Correct answer)
- Show that personal stories are more reliable than statistics
- Avoid taking a clear position on the topic
Correct answer: Appeal to both logic and emotion to strengthen the overall argument
Combining statistics (logos) with personal narratives (pathos) is a deliberate rhetorical strategy to appeal to both the reader's reason and emotions.
RLA Author's Purpose and Tone 5
A passage includes the line: 'Of course, anyone with common sense would see that this policy is a disaster.' What technique is the author using, and what effect does it have?