Question

What are the tone and mood of the passage?

Upturned Face
by Stephen Crane (excerpt)
Read the excerpt about two men trying to bury a dead soldier right in the middle of a battle.
"Yes," said Lean. The two privates stood waiting, bent over their implements. "I suppose," said Lean, "it would be better if we laid him in ourselves."
"Yes," said the adjutant. Then apparently remembering that he had made Lean search the body, he stooped with great fortitude and took hold of the dead officer's clothing. Lean joined him. Both were particular that their fingers should not feel the corpse. They tugged away; the corpse lifted, heaved, toppled, flopped into the grave, and the two officers, straightening, looked again at each other—they were always looking at each other. They sighed with relief.
The adjutant said, "I suppose we should—we should say something. Do you know the service, Tim?"
"They don't read the service until the grave is filled in," said Lean, pressing his lips to an academic expression.
"Don't they?" said the adjutant, shocked that he had made the mistake.
"Oh, well," he cried, suddenly, "let us—let us say something—while he can hear us."
"All right," said Lean. "Do you know the service?"
"I can't remember a line of it," said the adjutant.
Lean was extremely dubious. "I can repeat two lines, but—"
"Well, do it," said the adjutant. "Go as far as you can. That's better than nothing. And the beasts have got our range exactly."
Lean looked at his two men. "Attention," he barked. The privates came to attention with a click, looking much aggrieved. The adjutant lowered his helmet to his knee. Lean, bareheaded, he stood over the grave. The Rostina sharpshooters fired briskly.

A.
The tone of the story is serious and the mood is one of anticipation.
B.
The tone of the story is neutral and the mood is one of desperation.
C.
The tone of the story is somewhat hopeful and the mood is cheerful.
D.
The tone of the story is sympathetic and the mood is sorrowful.
E.
The tone of the story is somewhat humorous and the mood is uneasy.

Answer 1

A is the answer .....

Answer 2

The best answer is actually E. The tone of the story is somewhat humorous and the mood is uneasy.

Step-by-step explanation:

Even though this excerpt is about something that is supposedly serious - burying someone who has been killed -, the author makes it humorous in a somber way. The characters are clearly uncomfortable with the task at hand. Instead of dealing with it in a solemn manner, their rush to be done with it makes the whole action a bit ridiculous. They are afraid to touch the body, so it "lifted, heaved, toppled, flopped into the grave", which would normally be disrespectful. It is pitiful and funny, however, since we sense the uneasiness of the characters. To make matters worse, they do not know what to say - nor when to say it - once the body is in its grave. Still, they do what they can, even though it isn't much. That's why the story's tone is humorous, and the mood is uneasy.