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Question

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

Read the passage below carefully:

'The transition of traditional Yam Festival masquerades from sacred communal rites to commercialised spectacles for tourist consumption is frequently lauded by municipal planners as a victory for economic diversification. They point enthusiastically to increased hotel occupancies and artisan handicraft sales. However, this superficial prosperity masks a tragic erosion of ritual authenticity. When sacred dances are truncated to accommodate tour bus itineraries and ancestral shrines are converted into pay-per-view photo booths, the spiritual soul of the festival is effectively cannibalised. Far from preserving local heritage, such commodification reduces centuries of sacred cosmology to mere theatrical trinkets for casual onlookers.'

Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude toward the commercialisation of the Yam Festival?

  1. A
    Enthusiastic and supportive
  2. Disapproving and indignantAnswer
  3. C
    Sorrowful yet entertained
  4. D
    Indifferent and pragmatic

Answer

Disapproving and indignant
The writer's attitude is clearly disapproving and indignant. Throughout the text, powerful loaded words such as 'tragic erosion', 'superficial prosperity', 'cannibalised', and 'mere theatrical trinkets' highlight strong moral indignation and opposition toward transforming sacred rites into tourist entertainment.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify key emotive words and tone markers used by the author.
Phrases like 'superficial prosperity', 'tragic erosion', 'spiritually cannibalised', and 'mere theatrical trinkets' demonstrate strong negative valuation.
An author's attitude is primarily revealed through word choice (diction) and the connotations associated with key terms.
2
Distinguish between perspectives presented in the passage.
Municipal planners view the shift as a 'victory for economic diversification', whereas the author counters this view using 'However' and describes it as a loss of sacred cosmology.
Careful reading ensures that the stance of cited third parties is not mistaken for the author's personal opinion.
3
Match the identified authorial perspective to the correct affective tone descriptor.
The author's condemnation of cultural commodification corresponds directly to a disapproving and indignant attitude.
Selecting precise vocabulary accurately captures both the direction (disapproving) and intensity (indignant) of the writer's stance.

Key Concept

Identifying Writer's Tone and Attitude through Diction and Perspective
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Topics

Writer's Purpose, Tone, Mood, and Attitude

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