"Overall, the author would have been very successful at achieving his purpose if you were even slightly versed on the topic. Unf
ortunately, I have no background in this topic, and I found the essay way too overwhelming to read." The tone of the passage above can be described as: a) detached b) defiant c) critical d) instructive
Explanation: The tone of a text or sentence is the author's or speaker's attitude towards the audience, the subject or even the characters of the text. There are many different kinds of tones, like: positive, negative, objective, sad, angry, etc. From the given options, the word that best describes the tone of the passage, is the corresponding to option C: critical, because the speaker is criticizing the essay by saying that it is "to overwhelming to read."