Question

Refer to Explorations in Literature for a complete version of this narrative.

Read this excerpt from “About Russell” by Rita Williams-Garcia.

When he did speak, it was in a monotone, his eyes fixed elsewhere.

How does the word monotone affect the tone of this excerpt?


It supports a tone of deep distress.


It creates a tone of confidence.


It conveys a tone of disengagement.


It suggests a tone of commitment.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option three.

The word monotone means without intonation or expressivity. In the excerpt from "About Russell," by Rita Williams-Garcia, the narrator conveys a tone of disengagement, which means emotional detachment, disconnection or indifference. The reason is he speaks in a desinterested way and does not look at the person in the eyes.