In the last article, I introduced the concept of ‘tone of the passage’ and explained what it means. I stated that the ‘tone’ of the passage refers to the feelings or emotions expressed by the author towards an issue. It could also encompass the author’s style of writing. I also discussed the descriptive/ informative, judgmental and analytical tones.

This time, we shall discuss certain other important tones.

Sarcastic/ Satirical

Such a tone is used for passages where the author has subtly made fun of a person, the way an issue is being handled or situation. This is the major characteristic of such a tone.

A good example of satire would be the cartoons that one sees in newspapers. Consider the well-known ‘You Said It’ cartoon that commonly appears in the Times of India. RK Laxman’s satire is there for all to see-the manner in which he gently portrays the issues facing the common man and highlights the fallacy of statements made by politicians etc.

The following statement reflects sarcasm:

“Too often sports bodies in our country are in the hands of politicians. And you know how our politicians are.” Do you notice the somewhat subtle attack on politicians in the statement?
Reading a few passages demonstrating sarcasm or satire would help you immediately recognize such a tone.

Such passages could be on any topic, whether it is politics, economics, sports, social issues etc. What matters here is not the subject per se, but how the author writes about it and makes fun of the situation-not openly or in a blatant manner but subtly.

Bemoaning/ Regret/ Lamenting

These words are more or less synonyms, used to express a similar sentiment-that of loss. This tone is appropriate when the author wishes to express regret or sorrow about a particular issue. The author feels sorry for something, someone or about something. For example, one could regret the loss of life in terrorist attacks or the presence of corruption etc. A traditionalist might lament the loss of traditions, cultural values etc.
The characteristic of this tone is therefore the presence of sentiments associated with loss and the author feeling sorry or sad about something.

Examples of passages where this type of tone is used:

• A passage where the pain or anguish over the loss of something is expressed-could be a loss of lives, values etc
• A passage in which the author expresses his strong disapproval over something-could again be the loss of values, the prevalence of corruption etc

Candid
The word ‘candid’ means to be open, frank, honest or upfront. Nothing is kept hidden. Thus the word candid is appropriate as the tone for passages in which the author has admitted something, while being frank and open about his views.

The characteristic of this tone is thus forthrightness, openness and being frank. It is almost like a confessional statement being made.
For example, a student may admit that his preparation for an exam was not good enough; a CEO may admit that the product his company launched was a failure etc

Examples of passages where a candid tone is used:

• The CEO or a high-ranking official of a company admitting that there were problems in the company/ with a particular product etc
• A scientist admitting that his experiments were a failure or a particular technology didn’t work
• Somebody writing that he admits that he was wrong etc.

Prescriptive/ Sermonizing

This tone is appropriate when the author has told the reader to do something-the author gives advice, recommendations or suggestions.
A prescription is similar to the advice a doctor gives you-he tells you to do certain things: for example, a doctor may advise you to take rest, or take a certain medicine a certain number of times in a day and for a certain number of days.

A sermon is the talk given by a religious teacher, often telling his followers to believe in something, live their lives in a particular way, follow some practices etc. Think of Jesus Christ’s ‘The Sermon on the Mount’.
The characteristic of this tone is thus the presence of certain advice or suggestions given by the author to the reader.

Examples of passages where a prescriptive/ sermonizing tone is used:

• A religious discourse in which a spiritual guru gives certain advice to his followers
• An expert in afield giving advice or suggestions to individuals or corporates or others on any matter in which he is a recognized expert
• A teacher telling a student how much to study/ how to study, what he should or shouldn’t do etc

Critical/ Extolling
These ones are relatively easy, and you should not have much difficulty in identifying when the other has criticized something or someone or has praised it (the word ‘extol’ means ‘to praise’.

Summary
So these are some of the tones that you may come across while attempting RC passages in the CAT or other exams. Do not forget that the more you read and practice, the easier it shall become for you to understand which tone has been used by the author. As you will often hear, there is no substitute for reading!

- SIDHARTH BALAKRISHNA
Sidharth Balakrishna is an author and alumnus of IIM Calcutta. He is an MBA preparation expert and has been involved in MBA coaching for more than six years.