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Question

Difficulty: MediumTone Consistency

Originally constructed during the Gilded Age, the grand library serves as a testament to early twentieth-century civic architecture. Its soaring vaulted ceilings and ornate marble columns evoke a sense of scholarly reverence. Consequently, visitors are expected to chill out and be quiet in the main reading room.

Which of the following choices best maintains the tone established in the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. maintain a quiet demeanorAnswer
  3. C
    render themselves completely inaudible
  4. D
    comply to silent behavior

Answer

maintain a quiet demeanor
The correct option, 'maintain a quiet demeanor', preserves the formal, elevated tone established by phrases such as 'civic architecture' and 'scholarly reverence'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the tone of the surrounding sentences in the passage.
The words 'Gilded Age', 'civic architecture', 'vaulted ceilings', and 'scholarly reverence' establish a formal, academic, and serious tone.
Identifying the established tone helps filter out options that are too informal or excessively formal.
2
Evaluate the proposed options against the established formal tone and standard English conventions.
The phrase 'chill out and be quiet' is colloquial (informal), 'render themselves completely inaudible' is pretentiously formal, and 'comply to silent behavior' contains an incorrect preposition ('comply to' instead of 'comply with'). The phrase 'maintain a quiet demeanor' is grammatically correct and matches the formal tone.
This eliminates distractors that violate tone consistency or grammatical standards, leaving only the correct revision.

Key Concept

Tone consistency within a passage requires that all words and phrases align with the established register, style, and attitude of the surrounding text.
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Topics

Tone Consistency

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