What is the term for the author's attitude or feeling about a piece of writing?

What is the term for the author's attitude or feeling about a piece of writing?

• A. Tone
• B. Theme
• C. Mood
• D. Voice

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how we name the author’s attitude toward the subject in writing. The best term for that attitude is tone. Tone is the author’s stance or feeling expressed in the writing—whether it’s serious, humorous, ironic, bitter, hopeful, skeptical, and so on—and you can spot it in the author’s word choice, details, and overall style. For example, a passage that uses sharp, playful sarcasm signals a witty or ironic tone, while language that is grave and formal signals a somber tone. Mood, by contrast, is the emotion the reader experiences as they read the text, not the author's attitude toward the subject. Theme is the underlying message or insight about life or human nature that the piece conveys. Voice refers to the author’s distinctive personality or narrative style, which can influence tone but isn’t the same as the attitude toward the subject. So tone is the term that best captures the author’s attitude toward the writing.

The concept being tested is how we name the author’s attitude toward the subject in writing. The best term for that attitude is tone. Tone is the author’s stance or feeling expressed in the writing—whether it’s serious, humorous, ironic, bitter, hopeful, skeptical, and so on—and you can spot it in the author’s word choice, details, and overall style. For example, a passage that uses sharp, playful sarcasm signals a witty or ironic tone, while language that is grave and formal signals a somber tone.

Mood, by contrast, is the emotion the reader experiences as they read the text, not the author's attitude toward the subject. Theme is the underlying message or insight about life or human nature that the piece conveys. Voice refers to the author’s distinctive personality or narrative style, which can influence tone but isn’t the same as the attitude toward the subject. So tone is the term that best captures the author’s attitude toward the writing.