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Author's tone and style
Mockat Admin
Module 3 of 10
3. Author's Tone and Style
Tone and style are independent of the topic/genre of the passage. Understanding these will make it easier to understand the meaning or essence of the passage.Some of the primary tones are:
1) Narrative
2) Analytical
3) Educational, instructive or didactic
4) Humorous
5) Sentimental
6) Argumentative
7) Optimistic
8) Satirical, sarcastic
9) Pessimistic
10) Cynical
We have already discussed Narrative (similar to descriptive) and Analytical styles. Let us look at the others in more detail.
3.1 Educational or instructive
An author will use this style when they are trying to teach us something. This will typically be the style in most books, educational blogs or websites, etc. For instance, the narrative style in this book is educational.For instance,
Astronauts who have seen the Earth from space frequently describe a profound cognitive shift. ‘The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring, and it makes you realise just what you have back there on Earth,’ said Lovell, part of the crew of both Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. Researchers call this kind of shift in perspective the ‘overview effect’: a breakthrough shift in perspective catalysed by the perception of the unity and interconnectedness of life on Earth, often resulting in a strong desire to protect the planet.
This paragraph explains the impact of seeing the Earth from space.
3.2 Humorous
These passages are funny. They are usually narrative in nature, because humorous writing is more common in fiction.For instance,
Corky was one of the artists. A portrait-painter, he called himself, but he hadn't painted any portraits. He was sitting on the side-lines with a blanket over his shoulders, waiting for a chance to get into the game. You see, the catch about portrait-painting is that you can't start painting portraits till people come along and ask you to, and they won't come and ask you to until you've painted a lot first. This makes it kind of difficult for a chappie. Corky managed to get along by drawing an occasional picture for the comic papers – he had rather a gift for funny stuff when he got a good idea. His principal source of income, however, was derived from biting the ear of a rich uncle – Alexander Worple, who was in the jute business. I'm a bit foggy as to what jute is, but it's apparently something the populace is pretty keen on, for Mr. Worple had made quite an indecently large stack out of it.
This paragraph describes the author's friend Corky. The entire paragraph is humorous, especially the last part describing his uncle.
3.3 Sentimental
Such passages would be emotional, designed to draw out your emotions. The passage could make you feel happy, inspired, angry, envious – in short, any positive or negative emotion. These are not very common in MBA entrance tests.For instance,
Harry had known that there was no hope from the moment that the Body-Bind Curse Dumbledore had placed upon him lifted, known that it had happened only because its caster was dead; but there was still no preparation for seeing him here, spread-eagled, broken; the greatest wizard Harry had ever, or would ever meet. Dumbledore's eyes were closed; but for the strange angle of his arms and legs, he might have been sleeping. Harry gazed down at the wise old face and tried to absorb the enormous and incomprehensible truth – that never again would Dumbledore speak to him.
This paragraph tells us about Harry's pain upon Dumbledore's death.
3.4 Argumentative
An argumentative or biased passage is biased in favour of an opinion. Instead of analysing all sides (like an analytical passage), an argumentative passage is in favour of one outcome.For instance,
Internet sovereignty is not as simple as cutting yourself off from the global internet. That may seem counter-intuitive, but to illustrate how self-defeating such a move would be, one need look no further than North Korea. A single cable connects the country to the rest of the global internet. You can disconnect it with the flip of a switch. But few countries would consider implementing a similar infrastructure. From a hardware perspective alone, it is close to impossible.
This paragraph illustrates the difficulty of setting up sovereign internet (country-specific internet).
3.5 Optimistic
Optimistic passages will be positive in style – the author has a positive outlook, especially towards people or the future. Such passages are also characterised by confidence.For instance,
Quantum computing could change the world. It could transform medicine, break encryption and revolutionise communications and artificial intelligence. Companies like IBM, Microsoft and Google are racing to build reliable quantum computers. China has invested billions. Recently, Google claimed that it had achieved quantum supremacy – the first time a quantum computer has outperformed a traditional computer.
This paragraph is optimistic about the benefits of quantum computing.
3.6 Satirical or sarcastic
Satire is the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices. It is typically used in the context of power, politics and other topical issues. Satire usually utilises irony. Sarcasm is more informal and is used to mock or ridicule someone or something. Satirical or sarcastic passages rarely occur, but some passages might be in a satirical or sarcastic tone.For instance,
The Butterfly Effect describes how a tiny input, like the flapping of an insect’s delicate wings in South America, can kick off a series of snowballing events, like the formation of a tornado in North America. At least, that’s the idea in the mathematical world of chaos theory. While atmospheric scientists will tell you that it’s not particularly likely that a butterfly has such powers — no doubt a relief to conscientious butterflies everywhere — the effect in general is real: Seemingly inconsequential events can trigger a cascade of knock-on effects that grow in size and significance. On the Greenland ice sheet, scientists say they’ve found an agent of such change that’s far smaller than a butterfly, but whose proliferation could have far more consequence than a tornado.
In this paragraph, the author speaks sarcastically about conscientious butterflies. Note that the rest of the passage is straightforward.
3.7 Pessimistic
A pessimistic passage is written in a style opposite to an optimistic one. These passages are written with a negative viewpoint, where the author has either lost hope or feels that the future will be negative.For instance,
President Biden has recommitted the United States to the Paris Agreement, which is great except that it doesn’t really mean much, since that agreement’s commitments are voluntary. And it might not even matter whether signatories meet their commitments, since their pledges weren’t rigorous enough to keep global warming “well below” two degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels to begin with. According to Climate Action Tracker, a collaborative analysis from independent science non-profits, only Morocco and Gambia have made commitments compatible with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and the commitments made by several major emitters, including China, Russia, Japan and the United States, are “highly insufficient” or “critically insufficient.”
In this paragraph, the author is pessimistic about what countries are doing to minimise global warming.
3.8 Cynical
A cynical passage is written by an author with a cynical mindset, i.e. the author believes that people are only motivated by their own interest, or is generally distrustful of positive qualities such as truthfulness, sincerity or integrity in people.For instance,
Three words that stood out in Joe Biden’s powerful inaugural address were “democracy”, “unity” and “truth”. But it was democracy that took centre stage. The founding fathers of the American republic might have been surprised to hear him run the three together. They believed they were founding a state that was designed to keep democracy at arm’s length. James Madison, one of the authors of The Federalist Papers and a future president, stated that the American constitution he helped to write would mean “the total exclusion of the people, in their collective capacity, from any share [in the government]”. The founders were as keen on unity and truth as Biden. But they thought too much democracy would put them at risk. They viewed the voting public as notoriously fractious and prone to believe all sorts of nonsense. The point of establishing a republic rather than a democracy was to ensure there were safeguards against populism in all its forms.
This paragraph describes the cynical attitude of the Founding Fathers of the USA towards democracy and voting.
Example 6
The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best summarises the author's position.
The thought of Christmas raises almost automatically the thought of Charles Dickens, and for two very good reasons. To begin with, Dickens is one of the few English writers who have actually written about Christmas. Christmas is the most popular of English festivals, and yet it has produced astonishingly little literature. There are the carols, mostly medieval in origin; there is a tiny handful of poems by Robert Bridges, T.S. Eliot, and some others, and there is Dickens; but there is very little else. Secondly, Dickens is remarkable, indeed almost unique, among modern writers in being able to give a convincing picture of happiness.
(1) Dickens is one of the few British authors who we think of during Christmas.
(2) Dickens is one of the few British authors people think of during Christmas because of his happy stories.
(3) Britishers always think of Dickens during Christmas time.
(4) Dickens, Bridges and Eliot are among the few who have written about Christmas.
This is summarised partly in option (1) and (3) and partly in option (2). Options (1) and (3) are not very different, one mentions we and the other mentions Britishers.
However, option (2) has the key points about Dickens' writing, talent and happy stories. This is the key part of the passage, as most sentences are about Dickens. Therefore, we can select option (2) instead of option (1) or option (3).
Option (4) only speaks about one reason – Dickens writing about Christmas. It focusses more on all the authors, whereas the paragraph is largely about Dickens and why people think of him during Christmas.
Thus, option (2) is the correct choice.
Answer: (2) Dickens is one of few British authors who has written happy stories about Christmas.
The thought of Christmas raises almost automatically the thought of Charles Dickens, and for two very good reasons. To begin with, Dickens is one of the few English writers who have actually written about Christmas. Christmas is the most popular of English festivals, and yet it has produced astonishingly little literature. There are the carols, mostly medieval in origin; there is a tiny handful of poems by Robert Bridges, T.S. Eliot, and some others, and there is Dickens; but there is very little else. Secondly, Dickens is remarkable, indeed almost unique, among modern writers in being able to give a convincing picture of happiness.
(1) Dickens is one of the few British authors who we think of during Christmas.
(2) Dickens is one of the few British authors people think of during Christmas because of his happy stories.
(3) Britishers always think of Dickens during Christmas time.
(4) Dickens, Bridges and Eliot are among the few who have written about Christmas.
Solution
In this instructive paragraph, we learn that people think of Charles Dickens when they think of Christmas – because Dickens is one of the few British authors who has written about Christmas, and because he had a unique talent to portray happiness. We should focus on all these points as it is an instructive paragraph.This is summarised partly in option (1) and (3) and partly in option (2). Options (1) and (3) are not very different, one mentions we and the other mentions Britishers.
However, option (2) has the key points about Dickens' writing, talent and happy stories. This is the key part of the passage, as most sentences are about Dickens. Therefore, we can select option (2) instead of option (1) or option (3).
Option (4) only speaks about one reason – Dickens writing about Christmas. It focusses more on all the authors, whereas the paragraph is largely about Dickens and why people think of him during Christmas.
Thus, option (2) is the correct choice.
Answer: (2) Dickens is one of few British authors who has written happy stories about Christmas.
Example 7
The passage given below is followed by four summaries. Choose the option that best summarises the author's position.
Historically, humanity has considered wildfire a true disaster. We now understand that wildfires are a natural and integral part of the boreal biome. Modern wildfires, however, are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity, covering a larger area due to weather events like severe heat waves. In extreme fire years, these modern wildfires can burn deep into the organic soils that characterize boreal forests. These carbon-rich soils have been built up over thousands of years and hold approximately 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial carbon stocks. When fires burn deep into soils or return too quickly to a forest, they lose their “ancient carbon” stocks. Instead of being held in the ground these ancient carbon reserves are combusted and released back into the atmosphere, increasing the carbon levels. The higher carbon dioxide levels generated by wildfires intensify climate change impacts like heat waves, which can lead to further wildfires, forming a powerful “positive feedback” loop with climate change.
(1) Wildfires have become more frequent and intense, resulting in climate change which further exacerbates fires.
(2) Humans were correct in thinking that wildfires are dangerous as they can lead to carbon emissions.
(3) Wildfires are dangerous as they are responsible for 30% of carbon emissions, increasing climate change and heatwaves.
(4) Climate change causes wildfires, which causes climate change, creating a positive feedback loop.
None of the options have all the details, so let us try and find the one with most of this information. Note that the first sentence is not as important in this paragraph, as the author is focussing on the harmful impact of global warming.
Option (1) tells us how and why modern wildfires have become dangerous. While it does not specifically mention the feedback loop, it is explained and can be the correct choice.
Option (2) is logically flawed – when humans thought that wildfires were dangerous, they weren't. In fact, they were essential at that time (wildfires are a natural and integral part of the boreal biome). It is only modern wildfires which are harmful.
Option (3) is factually incorrect, as the author states that the forest soil holds 30% of the world’s terrestrial carbon stocks. This is not the same as 30% of all carbon emissions (terrestrial means related to land; which means that emissions owing to other sources such as cars or factories can be more). Additionally, not all forests are burning, which would be necessary for all the CO2 to be emitted.
Option (4) assumes that forest fires started only with global warming, which is not true as these fires occurred earlier as well. It also focusses more on the feedback loop vs. option (1) which has more key information.
Therefore, we can select option (1) as the correct choice, by eliminating all the other options.
Answer:(1) Wildfires have become more frequent and intense, resulting in climate change which further exacerbates fires.
Historically, humanity has considered wildfire a true disaster. We now understand that wildfires are a natural and integral part of the boreal biome. Modern wildfires, however, are occurring with increasing frequency and intensity, covering a larger area due to weather events like severe heat waves. In extreme fire years, these modern wildfires can burn deep into the organic soils that characterize boreal forests. These carbon-rich soils have been built up over thousands of years and hold approximately 30 per cent of the world’s terrestrial carbon stocks. When fires burn deep into soils or return too quickly to a forest, they lose their “ancient carbon” stocks. Instead of being held in the ground these ancient carbon reserves are combusted and released back into the atmosphere, increasing the carbon levels. The higher carbon dioxide levels generated by wildfires intensify climate change impacts like heat waves, which can lead to further wildfires, forming a powerful “positive feedback” loop with climate change.
(1) Wildfires have become more frequent and intense, resulting in climate change which further exacerbates fires.
(2) Humans were correct in thinking that wildfires are dangerous as they can lead to carbon emissions.
(3) Wildfires are dangerous as they are responsible for 30% of carbon emissions, increasing climate change and heatwaves.
(4) Climate change causes wildfires, which causes climate change, creating a positive feedback loop.
Solution
In this paragraph, we understand that wildfires (forest fires) were once beneficial, but have become dangerous now. Modern wildfires are more frequent and intense, resulting in the ancient carbon of the soil being released. Increased carbon emissions cause more global warming, which in turn results in more wildfires, resulting in a loop.None of the options have all the details, so let us try and find the one with most of this information. Note that the first sentence is not as important in this paragraph, as the author is focussing on the harmful impact of global warming.
Option (1) tells us how and why modern wildfires have become dangerous. While it does not specifically mention the feedback loop, it is explained and can be the correct choice.
Option (2) is logically flawed – when humans thought that wildfires were dangerous, they weren't. In fact, they were essential at that time (wildfires are a natural and integral part of the boreal biome). It is only modern wildfires which are harmful.
Option (3) is factually incorrect, as the author states that the forest soil holds 30% of the world’s terrestrial carbon stocks. This is not the same as 30% of all carbon emissions (terrestrial means related to land; which means that emissions owing to other sources such as cars or factories can be more). Additionally, not all forests are burning, which would be necessary for all the CO2 to be emitted.
Option (4) assumes that forest fires started only with global warming, which is not true as these fires occurred earlier as well. It also focusses more on the feedback loop vs. option (1) which has more key information.
Therefore, we can select option (1) as the correct choice, by eliminating all the other options.
Answer:(1) Wildfires have become more frequent and intense, resulting in climate change which further exacerbates fires.
Example 8
The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.
[CAT 2020]
As Soviet power declined, the world became to some extent multipolar, and Europe strove to define an independent identity. What a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point. It had in every century changed its internal structure and invented new ways of thinking about the nature of international order. Now at the culmination of an era, Europe, in order to participate in it, felt obliged to set aside the political mechanisms through which it had conducted its affairs for three and a half centuries. Impelled also by the desire to cushion the emergent unification of Germany, the new European Union established a common currency in 2002 and a formal political structure in 2004. It proclaimed a Europe united, whole, and free, adjusting its differences by peaceful mechanisms.
(1) The establishment of a formal political structure in Europe was hastened by the unification of Germany and the emergence of a multipolar world.
(2) Europe has consistently changed its internal structure to successfully adapt to the changing world order.
(3) Europe has chosen to lower political and economic heterogeneity, in order to adapt itself to an emerging multi-polar world.
(4) Europe has consistently changed in keeping with the changing world order and that has culminated in a united Europe.
All of this has resulted in a unified Europe, with a formal political structure, common currency and peaceful mechanisms for resolving differences between countries.
This is encapsulated in option (2) and option (4). Option (4) is preferable as it also tells us about the result (united Europe).
Option (1), while possibly factual, is not in line with the key message (Europe's flexibility and changes). Therefore, we can eliminate this option.
Option (3) is almost critical of Europe, whereas the author is not judgemental at all. In fact, the author can be said to praising this journey (what a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point). Therefore, we can eliminate this option.
Thus, option (4) is the correct choice.
Answer: (4) Europe has consistently changed in keeping with the changing world order and that has culminated in a united Europe.
[CAT 2020]
As Soviet power declined, the world became to some extent multipolar, and Europe strove to define an independent identity. What a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point. It had in every century changed its internal structure and invented new ways of thinking about the nature of international order. Now at the culmination of an era, Europe, in order to participate in it, felt obliged to set aside the political mechanisms through which it had conducted its affairs for three and a half centuries. Impelled also by the desire to cushion the emergent unification of Germany, the new European Union established a common currency in 2002 and a formal political structure in 2004. It proclaimed a Europe united, whole, and free, adjusting its differences by peaceful mechanisms.
(1) The establishment of a formal political structure in Europe was hastened by the unification of Germany and the emergence of a multipolar world.
(2) Europe has consistently changed its internal structure to successfully adapt to the changing world order.
(3) Europe has chosen to lower political and economic heterogeneity, in order to adapt itself to an emerging multi-polar world.
(4) Europe has consistently changed in keeping with the changing world order and that has culminated in a united Europe.
Solution
In this paragraph, we learn that Europe has changed its structure multiple times. This happened with the decline of USSR (Soviet power declined), when Europe changed its political mechanisms after three and a half centuries, and with the changes in the EU after the unification of Germany.All of this has resulted in a unified Europe, with a formal political structure, common currency and peaceful mechanisms for resolving differences between countries.
This is encapsulated in option (2) and option (4). Option (4) is preferable as it also tells us about the result (united Europe).
Option (1), while possibly factual, is not in line with the key message (Europe's flexibility and changes). Therefore, we can eliminate this option.
Option (3) is almost critical of Europe, whereas the author is not judgemental at all. In fact, the author can be said to praising this journey (what a journey Europe has undertaken to reach this point). Therefore, we can eliminate this option.
Thus, option (4) is the correct choice.
Answer: (4) Europe has consistently changed in keeping with the changing world order and that has culminated in a united Europe.