Question

Read the passage excerpt from Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Inaugural Address of March 4, 1933.

More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.
Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for.
What is the effect of formal language and word choice on the author's tone? Select each correct answer.
A.) It creates a distant tone.
B.) It creates an encouraging tone.
C.) It creates a self-satisfied tone.
D.) It creates a sincere tone.
E.) It creates a defeated tone.

Answer 1

B.) It creates an encouraging tone.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B.

In this passage, Roosevelt starts by accepting and stating the great difficulties his country and its people were undergoing.

However, in the second part, he starts talking in a different tone. He explains that, even though their situation was hard, they had overcome harder times before, so they would raise once again. The formal language and the choice of words used by Roosevelt help gives an encouraging mood to his speech.