Analyzing How Word Choice Affects Tone and Viewpoint
In the wagon where the bread had landed, a battle had
ensued. Men were hurling themselves against each other,
trampling, tearing at and mauling each other. Beasts of
prey unleashed, animal hate in their eyes. An
extraordinary vitality possessed them, sharpening their
teeth and nails.
- Night,
Elie Wiesel
What is the tone of this passage?
Which group of words from the text best reveals this
tone?
How does the tone contribute to the author's
viewpoint?

What number is main idea? correct answer. (1) propaganda is information that is methodically spread in order to persuade audiences to adopt a certain opinion. (2) advertising is an ever-present form of propaganda in our lives. (3) four common propaganda techniques are present in the advertising we see and hear every day. (4) one technique, the testimonial, involves having a well-known person appear on behalf of the product being sold. (5) advertisers assume, for example, that if we admire a sports star, we’ll want to eat the cereal he or she endorses. (6) another common propaganda technique, the bandwagon, makes us want to be “one of the gang.” (7) “everybody’s switching to . .” “don’t be left out . . ” and “all across america, people are discovering . . ” are phrases that signal a bandwagon approach. (8) the plain-folks propaganda technique is especially popular on tv. (9) in plain-folks commercials, we see and hear “regular” consumers talk about their experience using a certain phone company, headache remedy, or brand of coffee. (10) the fourth common propaganda technique, the transfer, encourages us to link two unrelated objects in our mind. (11) when a powerful cougar prowls around a shiny new car, for example, advertisers hope we will transfer our sense of the wild cat’s speed, strength, and beauty to our vision of their product.