Question

Read the following excerpt from The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday:

Winter brings blizzards, hot tornadic winds arise in the spring, and in summer the prairie is an anvil's edge. The grass turns brittle and brown, and it cracks beneath your feet. There are green belts along the rivers and creeks, linear groves of hickory and pecan, willow and witch hazel. At a distance in July and August the steaming foliage seems almost to writhe in fire. Great green and yellow grasshoppers are everywhere in the tall grass, popping up like corn to sting the flesh . . .

Which phrase in the passage most strongly contributes to its overall tone?

A. linear groves of hickory

B. popping up like corn

C. willow and witch hazel

D. foliage seems to writhe in fire

Answer 1

I would argue that option D contributes the most to the overall tone of the passage selected. The theme is the changing of the seasons, and given the imagery of "summer the prairie is an anvil's edge", the subsequent line of "foliage seems to writhe in fire" adds to the tone of destruction as the seasons change; it evokes the setting of a busy smithy, full of heat and smoke, where new things are forged from old ones.

Answer 2

Answer:

D). Foliage seems to writhe in fire.

Explanation:

The tone is illustrated as the author's approach or attitude towards a particular subject matter which is reflected through his/her choice of words or language in the work. It serves to equip the readers with a viewpoint or perspective through which they should assess or analyze a particular text and elicit the desired response from them.

In the excerpt from "The Way to Rainy Mountain" by N. Scott Momaday, the phrase that most strongly contribute to the overall tone would be 'foliage seems to writhe in fire' as it serves to complement and reflect the central idea or theme of the passage('winter brings blizzards, steaming foliage in July and August'), which is the devastation brought by varying seasons. Therefore, option D is the correct answer.