Question

Read this excerpt from "Nixon Resigns" by Carroll Kilpatrick:

Mr. Nixon’s brief speech was delivered in firm tones and he appeared to be in complete control of his emotions. The absence of rancor contrasted sharply with the “farewell” he delivered in 1962 after being defeated for the governorship of California.

Which statement best explains why Kilpatrick includes this paragraph in the article?

a. This paragraph conveys to readers the writer's opinion of Nixon's demeanor.
b. The paragraph suggests the difficulty Nixon had in maintaining his dignity during his speech.
c. This paragraph provides information about the tone of Nixon's speech.
d. This paragraph describes Nixon's physical appearance during his speech.

Answer 1

After this paragraph Killpatrick writes “An hour before the speech, however, the President broke down during a meeting with old congressional friends and had to leave the room.” The author's purpose in including these details is to portrait to the reader the opinion regarding how Nixon handled this situation, this paragraph conveys to readers the writer's opinion of Nixon's demeanor, the answer is A.

Answer 2

Your answer would be C This paragraph provides information about the tone of Nixon's speech.

Step-by-step explanation:

While A. seems like a likely choice it isn't the right answer. The reason is because throughout the text the author makes note how different the tone is in Nixon's speechs. Keywords like firm tone, rancor are specifically talking about the tone in which he deliveried both speechs.

Here is a picture of my test.

i thought A was the right answer, but then I reread the text after the quiz and saw my mistake.