Analysing Tone and Its Shifts · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Hear the attitude in the lines

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 14-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which is the most precise tone word?

    • Sad
    • Upset
    • Resigned

  2. What does tone describe?

    • The number of pages in the work
    • The writer's attitude
    • The year the work was published

  3. Words like dead, died, wrong, and depressing build a solemn, gloomy tone.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A speech opens formal and serious, then turns warm and personal. What happened to the tone?

    • Nothing changed at all
    • The tone shifted
    • The speech lost its words

  5. A thriller writes in short, bare sentences with few describing words. What tone does this shape build?

    • Suspenseful
    • Joyful
    • Sleepy

  6. Midway through a story the playful voice turns heavy after one grave sentence. Where does the meaning likely sit?

    • Only in the opening line
    • Only in the title
    • Where the tone turns

  7. A speaker moves from formal to warm, but a pupil says the tone stays one flat note. What is wrong?

    • Warm and formal are the same voice
    • The pupil missed the turn
    • Speeches never use tone

  8. Kim calls a calm gardening paragraph suspenseful because she felt tense. Its words are soft and its sentences flow long. What is wrong?

    • She brought her own feeling
    • She quoted too many soft words
    • She read the passage aloud
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Hear the attitude in the lines W1-mt_mZSdiW9z1W-s1

  1. Resigned · Resigned names an exact attitude. The others stay vague.
  2. The writer's attitude · Tone is attitude, heard through words and shape.
  3. True · Heavy word choice like that drags the mood down.
  4. The tone shifted · A move from formal to warm marks a shift in tone.
  5. Suspenseful · Short, clipped sentences quicken the pulse into suspense.
  6. Where the tone turns · A turn in tone is usually where the passage means most.
  7. The pupil missed the turn · Finding the turn where the voice shifts is where the meaning sits.
  8. She brought her own feeling · Tone must come from the words, not from feelings she brought along.
Worksheet · LightMySky