Question 45
NECO
•
2021
•
LITERATURE_IN_ENGLISH
•
objective
Consider the three paragraphs below taken from a short story.
Paragraph 1: "The sunrise painted the hills in gold, and the children's laughter rang like bells across the meadow."
Paragraph 2: "A sudden thunderstorm rolled in, dark clouds swallowing the sky, and the once‑cheerful birds fell silent."
Paragraph 3: "When the rain ceased, a solitary figure emerged, his coat drenched, eyes fixed on the distant horizon, as if waiting for an impossible promise."
(a) State the predominant mood in each paragraph.
(b) Explain, using specific diction from the text, how the shift from paragraph 1 to paragraph 2 changes the mood.
(c) Discuss how the description in paragraph 3 creates a mood that differs from both earlier paragraphs.
Answer Options
A.
Paragraph 1 - serene\/peaceful; Paragraph 2 - tranquil\/calm; Paragraph 3 - joyous\/celebratory. The shift from 1 to 2 is caused by the diction ‘sudden thunderstorm', ‘dark clouds swallowing the sky', ‘birds fell silent', which oddly suggests a soothing transition, turning the mood from calm to celebratory.
Correct Answer
B.
Paragraph 1 - joyful/hopeful; Paragraph 2 - ominous/foreboding; Paragraph 3 - melancholy/anticipatory. The shift from 1 to 2 is caused by the diction ‘sudden thunderstorm', ‘dark clouds swallowing the sky', ‘birds fell silent', which replaces bright, lively images with dark, oppressive ones, turning the mood from hopeful to foreboding. Paragraph 3's focus on a solitary, drenched figure ‘waiting for an impossible promise' creates a mood of melancholy and yearning, distinct from the earlier joy and fear.
C.
Paragraph 1 - melancholy\/sad; Paragraph 2 - hopeful\/bright; Paragraph 3 - ominous\/foreboding. The shift from 1 to 2 is caused by the diction ‘sunrise painted the hills in gold', ‘children's laughter', which incorrectly implies a move toward optimism, changing the mood from sad to hopeful.
D.
Paragraph 1 - angry\/irritated; Paragraph 2 - joyful\/hopeful; Paragraph 3 - neutral\/indifferent. The shift from 1 to 2 is caused by the diction ‘sudden thunderstorm', ‘dark clouds swallowing the sky', ‘birds fell silent', mistakenly interpreted as uplifting, turning the mood from anger to joy.
Correct Answer
B
Correct Option:
Paragraph 1 - joyful/hopeful; Paragraph 2 - ominous/foreboding; Paragraph 3 - melancholy/anticipatory. The shift from 1 to 2 is caused by the diction ‘sudden thunderstorm', ‘dark clouds swallowing the sky', ‘birds fell silent', which replaces bright, lively images with dark, oppressive ones, turning the mood from hopeful to foreboding. Paragraph 3's focus on a solitary, drenched figure ‘waiting for an impossible promise' creates a mood of melancholy and yearning, distinct from the earlier joy and fear.
About This Question
This is
Neco
2021
Literature In English
Question 45.
It is one of the
objective
questions from the
2021
Neco
Literature In English
examination.
Difficulty level:
Hard
.