SAT Prep - Critical-Reading

Tone of Passage questions ask about the author's attitude towards the subject.  Tone of Passage questions are usually phrased as:

• The authors attitude towards...
• The authors tone in this passage can best be described as
• Based on this passage, it is clear that the author feels
• The mood of this passage can best be described as

These types of questions are testing whether you can understand how the author feels about what they are writing about.  As you read, look for positive or negative language and consider whether the author uses extreme language or more mild language. 

• Does the author use mostly positive words or negative words to describe the subject
• Does the author use intense language like "hate/odious/adore/love" or more mild language like "dislike/displeasing/acceptable/decent"
• If it is a story, do the characters in the story seem cheerful or happy or are they depressed or struggling with hard lessons

When you answer the questions, make sure that you answer based on the author's tone or attitude.  If the author is writing a passage defending spiders, but he quoted someone who hates spiders, that doesn't necessarily mean that the author hates spiders.  If the author has a character who is unhappy, that doesn't necessarily mean the author is unhappy.  The author's tone or attitude needs to be discovered from the language and examples that the author himself uses to discuss the subject.