Auntie Em!

Read the following passage from www.wral.com:

Lee County estimates tornado damage at $57 million

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SANFORD, N.C. — Lee County officials say damage to homes and businesses from the tornado earlier this month total at least $57 million.
Emergency Management Director Shane Seagroves presented the damage totals to county commissioners Monday.
Commissioner Jim Womack says the damage could "easily" exceed $100 million, counting damaged and destroyed vehicles and property in homes and businesses.
Two people died in the storm in Lee County.
Officials say at least 457 structures were damaged, including 99 homes and 17 businesses that were destroyed.


The tone of this passage is:


a. informational
b. jaded
c. sensationalistic
d. biased


















Scroll down for the answer.












_______________________
a. is correct.  The passage only seeks to inform the readers about the tornado damage.
b. is incorrect.  Jaded means that you are no longer moved by things that once got a reaction from you.
c. is incorrect.  WRAL is not trying to make the news story seem bigger than it is.
d. is incorrect.  There seems to be no slant in the story to make you take one side over another.




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Make Sure to Get Extra Seasoning on Those Fries

Read the following and decide on the tone of the writer:

The coach yelled at us for losing the game. I didn't see what the big deal was. It's not like we're professional athletes or anything. Besides, my mom is taking me to Bojangles after the game whether we win or lose.

Is the tone of this passage:

a. angry 
b. ecstatic
c. indifferent 
d. sarcastic





Scroll down for the answer











______________________________________
Answer:

C - indifferent (this means that the person does not care one way or the other)

D - is wrong because the level of sarcasm in this passage is much lower than the level of indifference - HOWEVER - D is the best wrong answer, so your guessing skills aren't too far off

A - is wrong because the coach is angry, not the speaker

B - is wrong because ecstatic means very, very happy and while Bojangles should be enough to make anyone happy (mmm...Bojangles), the speaker is not showing great happiness

Rock the Vote!

Read the passage:

A old man was sitting in the front row at a town meeting, heckling the mayor as he delivered a long speech. Finally the mayor could stand it no longer, so he pointed to the heckler and said, "Will that gentleman please stand up and tell the audience what he has ever done for the good of the city?"

"Well Mr. Mayor," the man said in a firm voice. "I voted against you in the last election."
 
Which word best describes the tone of the mayor?
 
a. whimsical
b. indignant
c. amused
d. scathing
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scroll down for the answer.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
______________________
To answer a tone question, it is best to figure out what you think the tone (opinion of the speaker) is and then find a word that matches it.  You may not know what the words mean - don't despair.  Figure out which words are NOT the right answer and choose from what is left.
 
The mayor is certainly upset and a tad bit angry at his interruption, so we need a tone word that reflects this. 
 
a. is incorrect.  Whimsical means happy and care-free.
b. is correct. Indignant means someone who is angry and feels that they are not being treated fairly.
c. is incorrect.  Amused means the speaker finds something funny about the situation.
d. is incorrect.  This is the best wrong answer since scathing does mean the person is angry; however, scathing means that the speaker is angry and trying to hurt the other person with his/her remarks.
 
Story taken from: http://thejokes.co.uk/american-humor.php
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What Did He Get a PhD in?

Read the following headline:

Latverian Dictator Massacres Three Peace Protesters 

Based only on this headline, which of the following words best expresses the tone of the news reporter:

a. supportive          b. vindictive         
c. apathetic            d. disapproving

Scroll down for the answer.

By the way, Latveria is the home country of Dr. Doom, but I am sure that you already knew that!






_______________________

Answers:

A, B, and C are incorrect.

D - disapproving - is correct.  Why?  You can tell by the choice of words.  Every word has a denotation - the actual dictionary definition.  Some words have a connotation, or an emotional feel for a word.  You can tell the tone sometimes by the connotation of the words chosen.  Here, the reporter chooses to use the term dictator instead of his actual govermental title.  The term dictator, while accurate, has a negative connotation.  The word massacre also has a negative connotation.  A lesser one may have been executed, but massacres sounds more evil.  Also choosing to include that it was during a peace protest also makes it seem more wrong.  All of these terms are accurate, but they show the reporter's viewpoint.  Here is the same headline slanted the other way:

Latverian President Executes Rebel Protesters



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Hero or Menace?

Read the following (slightly modified) excerpt taken from an article published by the NCHSAA:

Recently an assistant swimming coach was fired for pulling a student’s hair at the end of her swim because he felt she had deliberately disqualified herself - obviously an indefensible reaction. However, what was most surprising was the differences in the reaction of the parents of the kids on the team. One group of parents wants the coach to be prosecuted for assault while the other group applauded the coach’s behavior.

This split in opinion speaks volumes for the need for coaches to be able to effectively communicate with their parents and athletes about expectations and resolving differences.

The author of this article feels that the pulling of hair was:

a. justifiable

b. clearly wrong

c. O.K. if the parents are O.K. with it

d. unbiased either way

Scroll down for the answer.

__________________________________

Because of the comments, "obviously an indefensible reaction," and "the need for coaches to be able to effectively communicate . . . about . . . resolving differences," we know that the author does not agree with the hair pulling tactic.  The correct answer is b.

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