Question

Consider these versions of The War of the Worlds. Excerpt 1, from H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds: Then came the night of the first falling star. It was seen early in the morning, rushing over Winchester eastward, a line of flame high in the atmosphere. Hundreds must have seen it, and taken it for an ordinary falling star. Albin described it as leaving a greenish streak behind it that glowed for some seconds. Denning, our greatest authority on meteorites, stated that the height of its first appearance was about ninety or one hundred miles. It seemed to him that it fell to earth about one hundred miles east of him.

Excerpt 2, from Howard E. Koch's script for Orson Welles's radio adaptation: ANNOUNCER TWO: Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Farrell of the Mount Jennings Observatory, Chicago, Illinois, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas, occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars. The spectroscope indicates the gas to be hydrogen and moving towards the earth with enormous velocity.
Which statement best describes the difference between these versions?
The radio adaptation's tone is more urgent than the novel's tone.
The radio adaptation's tone is more academic than the novel's tone.
The radio adaptation's tone is more peaceful than the novel's tone.
The radio adaptation's tone is more friendly than the novel's tone.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. The radio adaptation's tone is more urgent than the novel's tone.

Step-by-step explanation:

The tone of a text refers to the attitude of the speaker, narrator or author while describing situations, events, subjects, etc. which can be identified based on the selection of words, phrases or language that reveal the feelings, thoughts, and ideas of the speaker while describing something.

In the case of the two versions of The War of the Worlds, the radio adaptation has a more urgent tone this can be seen in the use of language for example in "several explosions of incandescent gas" or "moving towards the earth with enormous velocity" that show the situation is urgent and an emergency in comparison to the language used in the original text "a line of flame high in the atmosphere" or "It seemed to him that it fell to earth" that just describes the way the object is falling to the Earth but without any urgency or feeling.

Thus, the statement that describes the difference between the two versions is "the radio adaptation's tone is more urgent than the novel's tone".

Answer 2

A) The radio adaptation's tone is more urgent than the novel's tone.