They want me to make a few remarks at the start of tonight's meeting? Noproblem, I say. I bring along an index card scribbled over with key phrases, and,
when the moment arrives, I mount the stage. The hall is packed. I sit among the
other speakers, hands folded, smiling genially and remembering not to sprawl in my
chair. But as the meeting is being called to order, strange things start happening to
my body. My legs go rubbery, for one thing. Unaccountably, my knees begin
knocking like castanets. I grasp the lectern firmly with both hands to prevent
fainting, and resist the temptation to drape myself over it like one of those melting
watches in a painting by Dali. I'm sure it wouldn't do to speak from a sitting
position on the floor behind the thing, but still it's an appealing notion.
--From Newman, Communicating in Business Today
9. The author of this passage has created a tone (mood, feeling) that can be described
as
a. cruel
b. serious
c. sympathetic
d. playful
-
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Reprinted by permission of The National Examiner
10. The author of this passage has created a tone that can be described as
a. optimistic
b. prayerful
c. critical
d. uneasy