Question

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

Read the passage below carefully:

"The municipal council's recent decision to flatten the nineteenth-century colonial post office to make room for a six-storey glass-and-steel shopping plaza has been hailed by city planning authorities as a monumental leap toward modernizing our urban landscape. One cannot help but marvel at how effortlessly five decades of civic heritage can be reduced to rubble in a single afternoon under the guise of progress. While proponents eagerly promise that the glistening retail atrium will revitalize downtown commerce, they conveniently overlook the irreversible erasure of our city's collective memory. Replacing architectural grandeur with cheap, reflective glass may indeed serve short-term commercial interests, but it leaves our historic center stripped of its soul."

What is the writer's predominant tone in the passage above?

  1. A
    Nostalgic and melancholic
  2. Sarcastic and disapprovingAnswer
  3. C
    Enthusiastic and complimentary
  4. D
    Indifferent and objective

Answer

Sarcastic and disapproving
The correct answer captures the writer's use of verbal irony ('marvel at how effortlessly...', 'monumental leap') combined with explicit condemnation ('irreversible erasure', 'stripped of its soul'). This combination demonstrates a tone that is both sarcastic and strongly disapproving.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine key diction and stylistic cues in the passage.
Identified phrases such as 'marvel at how effortlessly', 'under the guise of progress', 'conveniently overlook', and 'stripped of its soul'.
Word choice reveals the author's underlying feelings toward the topic.
2
Analyze whether statements of praise are literal or ironic.
The phrase 'marvel at how effortlessly five decades of civic heritage can be reduced to rubble' is ironic, as marveling is paired with destruction.
Irony and sarcasm are indicated when positive verbs are applied to negative outcomes.
3
Synthesize the writer's overall attitude.
The writer mocks official claims of progress while condemning the destruction of heritage, establishing a sarcastic and disapproving tone.
Combining irony with explicit condemnation forms a sarcastic and critical attitude.

Key Concept

Identifying Writer's Tone and Attitude through Diction and Irony
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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