Question 41
GCE_MODEL_QUESTIONS_VOL1
•
2024
•
LITERATURE_IN_ENGLISH
•
objective
Read the two extracts from *The Great Gatsby* below.
Extract 1: "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since…" He smiled, a thin, amused smile, and his eyes glittered with a restless optimism.
Extract 2: "He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you could not help but trust. Yet, as the night deepened, his voice fell to a hushed, almost mournful whisper, and the laughter that had filled the room seemed to evaporate."
Identify the tone of each extract, explain the shift in tone between them, citing two specific textual features that signal the change, and state the effect this shift has on the reader's perception of Gatsby.
Answer Options
Correct Answer
A.
Extract 1 has a hopeful, buoyant tone; Extract 2 a somber, melancholy tone. The shift is signalled by the change from optimistic diction ("restless optimism") to mournful diction ("hushed", "evaporate") and by the move from active, lively verbs to passive, fading verbs. This makes the reader see Gatsby as moving from a figure of bright possibility to one of fragile tragedy.
B.
Extract 1 has a melancholic, mournful tone; Extract 2 a hopeful, buoyant tone. The shift is signalled by the change from optimistic diction ("restless optimism") to mournful diction ("hushed", "evaporate") and by the move from active verbs to passive verbs. This makes the reader see Gatsby as moving from tragedy to triumph.
C.
Extract 1 has a nostalgic, reflective tone; Extract 2 a jubilant, celebratory tone. The shift is signalled by the change from somber diction ("hushed") to upbeat diction ("optimism") and by the move from passive verbs to active verbs. This makes the reader see Gatsby as becoming more confident.
D.
Extract 1 has a cynical, bitter tone; Extract 2 a hopeful, buoyant tone. The shift is signalled by the change from passive, fading verbs to active, lively verbs and by the introduction of bright imagery ("restless optimism"). This leads the reader to view Gatsby as increasingly optimistic.
Correct Answer
A
Correct Option:
Extract 1 has a hopeful, buoyant tone; Extract 2 a somber, melancholy tone. The shift is signalled by the change from optimistic diction ("restless optimism") to mournful diction ("hushed", "evaporate") and by the move from active, lively verbs to passive, fading verbs. This makes the reader see Gatsby as moving from a figure of bright possibility to one of fragile tragedy.
About This Question
This is
Gce Model Questions Vol1
2024
Literature In English
Question 41.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2024
Gce Model Questions Vol1
Literature In English
examination.
Difficulty level:
Hard
.