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Question

Difficulty: MediumWriter's Purpose, Tone, Mood, and Attitude

Read the passage below carefully:

"The municipal council's recent resolution to mandate digital facade preservation across the historic merchant district is less a triumph of heritage conservation than a calculated exercise in bureaucratic posturing. While council members boast of protecting architectural lineage, the policy conveniently exempts commercial developers who fund urban renewal projects from adhering to the same structural standards imposed on native shopkeepers. By presenting aesthetic compliance as genuine historical stewardship, the council obscures the economic displacement of small business owners under a veneer of civic pride. Such double standards reveal that the administration values real estate speculation far above the living cultural fabric of the community."

What is the writer's primary attitude towards the municipal council's preservation policy?

  1. Cynical and condemnatoryAnswer
  2. B
    Commendatory and optimistic
  3. C
    Sorrowful and compassionate
  4. D
    Detached and impartial

Answer

Cynical and condemnatory
The option stating 'Cynical and condemnatory' is correct because the author repeatedly highlights hypocrisy ('veneer of civic pride', 'double standards') and directly accuses the council of prioritizing real estate speculation over heritage. Words like 'bureaucratic posturing' show deep distrust (cynicism) and active disapproval (condemnation).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify key tone indicators and value-laden vocabulary in the text.
Phrases such as 'calculated exercise in bureaucratic posturing', 'conveniently exempts', 'veneer of civic pride', and 'double standards' express severe distrust and disapproval.
Word choice and descriptive modifiers reveal the author's underlying stance toward the subject.
2
Differentiate between the author's attitude and third-party perspectives or emotional context.
The council claims to act out of 'civic pride' and 'heritage conservation', but the author views these claims as hypocritical rhetoric masking commercial greed.
Identifying the author's stance requires distinguishing what the author believes from what the subject of the text claims.
3
Select the descriptor pair that accurately synthesizes the author's stance.
'Cynical and condemnatory' accurately captures both the distrust of the council's motives and the explicit critique of their policy.
The author systematically critiques and condemns the administration's double standards.

Key Concept

Writer's Attitude and Tone Identification in Expository/Argumentative Texts
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Topics

Writer's Purpose, Tone, Mood, and Attitude

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