Question

The author's attitude toward the topic, characters, and audience of a text is known as _[blank]_. Which option correctly completes the statement? (a) syntax (b) diction (c) tone (d) mood

Answer 1

The author's attitude is the tone.  This sets up mood, which is the reader's feelings toward the text.  I often teach these together because they can be so confusing.  Syntax is just the arrangement of words, which is often seen in poetry as this is where it is most effective.  Diction is simply the choice of words, which is part of tone but not the full definition of tone.  C is the correct answer.