Read the excerpt from a student’s essay. Student Work The first mention of Ship-Trap Island already gives the reader an uneasy feeling. Whitney describes the island’s fearsome reputation among the ship’s crew as Rainsford peers into the black night to see any sign of the place. He cannot see the mysterious island, and Whitney knows little about it, other than that it frightens the sailors. Interestingly, it fills Whitney with a sense of dread as well. Which revision of the first sentence best incorporates the literary term mood ?
Answer
A
Whitney and Rainsford’s discussion of Ship-Trap Island immediately establishes a foreboding mood.
B
Rainsford is not in the mood to listen to Whitney’s irrational assumptions about Ship-Trap Island.
C
The story’s overall tone is established by the moods of its characters, Whitney and Rainsford.
D
Whitney’s description of Ship-Trap Island instantly puts the reader into the right mood to read the story.
Explanation
Mood is the feeling an author creates for the reader. The island’s frightening reputation and the characters’ uneasy discussion create a sense of dread, so “foreboding mood” accurately describes the effect. Choice A incorporates the literary term in that way; the other choices use “mood” to mean a character’s state of mind or confuse mood with tone.
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