Question

Difficulty: EasyTextual Tone, Mood, and Atmosphere

Read the excerpt below carefully:

CHIEF ADO: (Pacing back and forth, clutching his wooden staff) If the council yields to their demands today, we shall become strangers in our own fatherland! The soil beneath our feet bleeds, yet you speak of compromise!
ELDER EZE: Sit down, Chief Ado. Anger has never brewed wise counsel. Let us hear what the emissaries have brought before we light the torch of war.

What is the dominant tone of Chief Ado's utterance in the excerpt above?

  1. Impassioned and defiantAnswer
  2. B
    Tense and apprehensive
  3. C
    Sorrowful and resigned
  4. D
    Malicious and deceitful

Answer

Impassioned and defiant
The correct option is 'Impassioned and defiant' because Chief Ado speaks with intense emotional energy and explicitly rejects the idea of compromise, taking a strong stand to protect his fatherland.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target speaker and focus of the question
The focus is specifically on Chief Ado's attitude (tone) during his speech.
Tone refers to the speaker's emotional attitude toward the subject or audience.
2
Analyze word choices and stage directions
Exclamations like 'we shall become strangers in our own fatherland!' and stage directions showing him pacing reveal strong passion and resistance to compromise.
Strong, urgent diction combined with non-verbal actions reflects a fierce, non-conforming stance.
3
Select the descriptor that accurately captures this attitude
'Impassioned and defiant' correctly describes a speaker driven by deep feeling who refuses to submit.
It aligns precisely with both the emotional intensity and the unyielding message of Chief Ado's words.

Key Concept

Identifying Speaker Tone in Dramatic Dialogue
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