Author’s tone is one of the types of questions that can be presented on the Paragraph Comprehension section of the ASVAB. To decide on author’s tone, it is important to consider the author’s view or attitude. You must see if he/she is discussing the topic in a positive or negative tone. In this case, where the author is writing a scientific piece, the author is neither presenting it positively or negatively. It is a neutral or objective piece that presents facts. The author’s tone is factual. As someone who tutors for the ASVAB, I see many students in my ASVAB prep class experience difficulty understanding the author’s tone. Author’s tone is not directly stated in a passage like the answer to a detail question, vocabulary question or sequence question might be. It involves coming to a conclusion to understand the tone the author is using. In addition to providing help with ASVAB math and vocabulary, I take time to discuss author’s tone since it is a possible type of question that can appear on the ASVAB.
