Name the mood, then the tone
Sixteen short passages: eight to name the mood and eight to name the writer's tone. The key points to the evidence in each passage, not just the word.
Worksheet and answer key (PDF)Answer on screen
Answer key, with the reasons
Name the mood
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idyllic
Idyllic: the scene is peaceful, simple and happy, almost too good to last ("Nobody looked at a clock", "the kind of week you remember as perfect"). Ominous would need a hint that something bad is coming, and nothing here warns of it. Matter-of-fact names a tone, the writer's plain way of telling, not the feeling the scene gives the reader.
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whimsical
Whimsical: the oddities are playful and charming, a teapot that talks, kites asleep in a tree, a moon doing the laundry. Eerie needs strangeness that frightens, and nothing here threatens anyone. Bittersweet needs happiness and sadness together, and there is no loss in the scene.
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wistful
Wistful: the sadness is soft and full of longing for something past ("I would give a lot to hear her call me in for supper"). Tense needs nervous waiting for something to go wrong. Celebratory is a tone word, the writer marking a success with joy, and there is no success here.
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bittersweet
Bittersweet: joy and loss sit side by side, laughing with friends and saying goodbye on the same afternoon. Gloomy is dark and without hope all the way through, and this scene starts in laughter. Whimsical is light and fanciful, and this is an ordinary goodbye.
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ominous
Ominous: every detail suggests something bad is about to arrive, a bruise-colored sky, silent gulls, boats pulled higher than usual. The storm has not come yet, and that is the difference between ominous and a scene where the bad thing has already happened. Idyllic is peaceful and happy. Admiring is a tone, a writer looking up to a subject.
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gloomy
Gloomy: the scene is dark in both light and feeling (rain, streetlights at four, a shop closing for good, a silent room) with nothing hopeful in it. Wistful is a gentler sadness that longs for something, and no one here longs for anything. Festive is bright and cheerful, like a holiday.
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eerie
Eerie: something is wrong and nothing explains it, a swing moving with no wind, a merry-go-round turning on its own. The threat is felt, not seen. Whimsical is strange in a charming way, and this strangeness frightens. Ironic is a tone, a gap between what is said and what is meant.
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tense
Tense: the reader holds their breath with the people waiting, every head coming up when the door opens. Gloomy is dark and hopeless, and these people are waiting for news, not without hope. Sarcastic is a tone of mocking praise, and nothing here mocks anyone.
Name the tone
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admiring
Admiring: the writer clearly looks up to Ms. Okafor and says why, with the things she did. Sarcastic would praise her while meaning the opposite, and every word here is meant. Ominous is a mood, a sense that something bad is coming, not the writer's attitude.
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celebratory
Celebratory: the writer marks a success with joy, from the opening exclamation to the trophy and the loud dog. Objective would give the results without the writer's feelings, and this report is openly delighted. Cynical would doubt that anyone meant well.
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objective
Objective: the writer gives the figures, says what they cannot show, and offers no opinion about which way to travel is best. Critical would point out faults. Celebratory would treat the results as a success to cheer.
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formal
Formal: it follows the rules of official writing, "We write to inform you", "Should you require", "please do not hesitate". Conversational would sound like a chat: "Just so you know, no school on Friday!" Sarcastic says the opposite of what it means, and this letter means exactly what it says.
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sarcastic
Sarcastic: the words praise ("brilliant", "top marks") but the meaning mocks whoever packed the tent. Aiming the mockery at a person is what makes it sarcastic rather than wry, which is gentler and laughs at the situation. Admiring would mean the praise. Objective would report the fallen tent with no attitude at all.
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ironic
Ironic: the writer calls the app "a triumph of convenience" while every detail shows the opposite, and that gap between the words and the meaning is the point. Some readers would call it sarcastic too, which is fair; ironic is the closer word because the target is an app, not a person. Admiring would mean the praise. Formal names correct, official wording, and this is a joke at the app's expense.
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cynical
Cynical: the writer doubts that anyone means well ("Nobody gives anything away"). Pessimistic is close, but it means expecting things to go badly, and this writer is not predicting anything: they are doubting motives. Celebratory would treat the scheme as a success.
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critical
Critical: the writer finds the faults and names them exactly, a dragging middle, repeated scenes, a missing villain, loose ends, and still gives the first hour its credit. Mocking would make fun of someone unkindly. Ominous is a mood, a sense that something bad is coming.
For teachers: Ask students to underline the words in each passage that support their answer. A different word can be right if the evidence in the passage supports it, so the key gives the evidence, not just the word. Some options are tone words in the mood questions and the other way round: spotting them is part of the practice.