Question

The monster hurled the uprooted tree at the crowd,

How would the meaning of the sentence be affected if the word tossed were
substituted for the word hurled
A. The tone of the sentence would be less angry
B. The tone of the sentence would be less humorous,
C. The tone of the sentence would be more foreboding
D. The tone of the sentence would be more negative

Answer 1

Correct answer: A. The tone of the sentence would be less angry.

Explanation: “to toss” means to casually throw something somewhere, as in: “She tossed the cushion on the bed”. The sentence would simply mean that the monster threw the tree at the crows as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.
“To hurl” means to violently throw something, which gives a scary sensation. So using “toss” instead of “hurl” gives the sentence a less negative tone.