Consider the two excerpts below.

Excerpt A: "The city council, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the potholes were merely decorative features, intended to give pedestrians a daily adventure."

Excerpt B: "The rain fell in relentless sheets, each drop a cold reminder of the promises broken, as she stood alone beneath the dim streetlamp, waiting for a future that never arrived."

Identify the tone of each excerpt and explain how the author achieves the shift from the first to the second.

Question

Consider the two excerpts below.

Excerpt A: "The city council, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the potholes were merely decorative features, intended to give pedestrians a daily adventure."

Excerpt B: "The rain fell in relentless sheets, each drop a cold reminder of the promises broken, as she stood alone beneath the dim streetlamp, waiting for a future that never arrived."

Identify the tone of each excerpt and explain how the author achieves the shift from the first to the second.

Accepted Answer

Excerpt A has an ironic, satirical tone achieved through sarcastic diction; Excerpt B has a melancholic, somber tone created by bleak imagery and forlorn diction—the shift is produced by moving from humorous exaggeration to stark, emotive description.

Gce Model Questions Vol1 2025 Literature In English Question 23

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