ACT Reading 2.1 Prose Fiction
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ACT Reading 2.1 Prose Fiction. Which of the following best describes the mood of this passage?
| ACT Reading | Author's Voice and Method Prose Fiction |
| Foreign Language | Arabic Subtitled Chinese Subtitled Korean Subtitled Spanish Subtitled |
| Language | English Language |
| Literary Fiction | Narration and Tone |
| Product Type | ACT Reading |
| Reading | Main Idea |
| Reading Literature | Analyze how author’s choices in structure create mystery, suspense, or surprise |
Transcript
Really bad.
So one thing we're sure of right from the get-go is that any word with a positive connotation
is wrong. This makes "amusing" the easiest choice
to eliminate. Hint: hardly any of Poe's stories are what
we'd call amusing. Unless you have a seriously twisted sense of humor.
(B) is a definite no. "Melancholy" is a feeling of pensive sadness,
sometimes caused by... nothing at all.
Plenty of Poe's other characters are about as melancholy as it gets, but this protagonist
is out for revenge. He's got no time for moping around.
Choice (C) is incorrect.
Poe basically invented the horror genre, making "frightening" very tempting. There's
definitely a slightly scary tone to this specific passage as well, so we won't cross this
one off just yet. "Ominous" describes the sense that something
bad is about to happen.
Think of the moment before you tossed your clock radio into the bath.
"Ominous" better describes the feeling of tension in the passage than "frightening."
The frightening part comes later...
Especially when you're hanging out with Poe.
So the answer is (A) Ominous.