Question

select the passage that has a more disapproving tone.
the minds of the people were agitated with other things, and a kind of sadness and horror at these things sat upon the expressions of even the common people. death was before their eyes, and everybody began to think of their graves, not of mirth and diversions.
the
ed death\ had long devastated the country. but prince prospero was strangely happy and unconcerned. when his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned a thousand lighthearted friends to his castle. he thoughtlessly believed the external world could take care of itself. in the meantime, it was foolish to grieve, or to think.
adapted from daniel defoe, a journal of the plague year and edgar allen poe, \the masque of the red death\

Explanation:

To determine the passage with a more disapproving tone, we analyze the language and content of both passages. The first passage describes the people's sadness and focus on death, but it's more of a descriptive tone. The second passage describes Prince Prospero's actions: he is "strangely happy and unconcerned" while his dominions are devastated, he "thoughtlessly" believes the external world can take care of itself, and it's "foolish to grieve, or to think." These words ("strangely," "thoughtlessly," "foolish") imply a judgment or disapproval of the prince's attitude and actions, showing a more disapproving tone compared to the first passage which is more about the people's state without such judgmental language.

Answer:

The passage: "The 'Red Death' had long devastated the country. But Prince Prospero was strangely happy and unconcerned. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned a thousand lighthearted friends to his castle. He thoughtlessly believed the external world could take care of itself. In the meantime, it was foolish to grieve, or to think."