Figurative Language & Mood
In the story "Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed," the author uses this type of figurative language when he describes the children as “small seeds” that might be sown across the
What is a metaphor?
In the article "Humans Are Not Meant to Live in Space," the author makes this primary claim regarding space travel.
What is that the physical effects of living in space outweigh the potential benefits?
Using context clues from the sentence, “Microgravity refers to the near absence of gravity in space,” this is the meaning of the word microgravity.
What is very low or near-zero gravity?
This is the general purpose of an author who writes a science feature titled "Japan to Start Research on the Moon and Mars for Humans."
What is to inform?
Ray Bradbury uses this literary device when he describes the wind blowing as if it wanted to “flake away their identities.”
What is personification?
This is the term for an opposing view that an author includes in an argument, such as when "We Should Fix Earth Before Colonizing Mars" mentions that "humanity must get off this planet for good" before arguing we should fix Earth first.
What is a counterclaim?
In Bradbury’s story, the word “submerged” is used to describe a house in a “river of wind”; this word has this type of connotation to suggest being completely overwhelmed.
What is a negative or suffocating connotation?
The specific purpose of Sheri Buckner’s article "Why We Should Continue to Explore Space" is to do this to the reader
What is to persuade them that space exploration is worth the cost?
When Harry Bittering feels like a “salt crystal in a mountain stream, being washed away,” the author is using this type of comparison to show Harry's fear of losing his Earthly self.
What is a simile?
To support the claim that space is dangerous, one author provides this scientific statistic regarding how much faster bones lose density in microgravity compared to Earth.
What is four times faster (or 1% per month compared to 3% per year)
Based on the context of a man planting Earth flowers in Martian soil while feeling out of place, an “anachronism” is something that belongs to this
What is the past (or a different time)?
An author who uses phrases like “terrible idea,” “life-threatening effects,” and “permanent damage” is creating this type of tone.
What is a serious, cautionary, or negative tone?
Descriptions of the “racing hiss of wind,” a “river of wind” submerging a house, and a “third unbidden partner” at every talk are used to build this specific mood in the story.
What is a mood of fear or unease?
When an author presents the idea that "brain games" or "space colonizing" are solutions, but then provides evidence that they are not effective, they are performing this step of an argument.
What is refuting a counterclaim?
In an argument about environmental issues, the word “persist” is used to describe problems that continue to exist despite our efforts.
What is to stay or last?
Authors include technical terms like “centrifugal force,” “biodiversity,” and “linear motors” primarily to achieve this goal.
What is to provide specific, scientific information to inform the reader?
The author uses this type of figurative language when describing the rockets as having “spun a silver web across space,” suggesting they provided a delicate but essential connection to Earth.
What is a metaphor?
When evaluating if an argument is strong, a reader must decide if the evidence—such as personal stories like "Cousin Jared"—is actually this, meaning there is enough of it to be convincing
What is sufficient?
In the sentence “His voice droned on and quietly on,” the word “droned” suggests the speaker’s tone is this.
What is dull, monotonous, or unemotional?
When an author like Bruce Dorminey uses the phrase “tip of the spear” to describe this generation, he is using diction that creates this type of tone about our place in history
What is a bold or pioneering tone?