Mood and Tone in the Story "Test" by Theodore Thomas

By Claire Wimbush
Last updated almost 7 years ago
14 Questions
Note from the author:
My students read this short story after lessons on how mood and tone work together to create effective writing.

What's the tone of this first section of the story?

What mood does the first section create?

What's the tone of the second section of the story?

What mood does it create?

What's the tone of the final section of the story?

What mood does it create?

What did you think of the story? Explain your reaction.

What is the test?

Do you think Robert failed the test, or is the test unfair? Explain your answer.

Imagine the kind of society that created the test. What is it like? Would you want to live in it? Why or why not? Explain.

When the uniformed man says, "How do any of us know [if we are dreaming]," what do you think he means? Explain.

Write a sentence that expresses one theme of the story.

Now that you have read and thought about the story, consider how its tone and mood changes throughout. (Look back at your answers to questions 1-6 to help you.) How does the tone shift from the beginning to the end?

Write one or two sentences that explain the effect of that tone shift on the reader. What does the tone shift do? (There isn't one right answer here. I'm asking you to think about how the story works--how does it create its impact?)