The phrases creating a tone of foreboding are:
- "strange blight;"
- "evil spell;"
- "mysterious maladies;"
- "shadow of death."
<em>Foreboding</em> means predicting or announcing that something bad is about to happen. Taking the answers one by one, you can see how they relate to the same ominous idea:
- a "strange blight" and "evil maladies" refer to a destructive condition which no-body can explain;
- an "evil spell" means that it is interpreted as a magical curse;
- the "shadow of death" is a metaphor meaning that death is coming to the crops or cattle (depending on the original text excerpt).
When all the corrections are made to a document, the original one is "vaporized" to ensure the "truth". This means that "corrections" or "rectification" of details were made, to ensure the message or the reality they wanted to show. These messages include political propaganda, or manipulation of truth.
It is false that the connotations of a word have little effect on its literal meaning. Connotation are your personal feelings that a certain word evokes when you think about it/read it/write it.
For example, the word home means a house, but its connotation is usually positive - you connect it with love, warmth, etc.
Answer: A. I prefer music with an easy beat, like reggae. This club music is too loud and fast for my taste
