Question

eighth grade ★ c.3 compare passages for tone nsm
select the passage that has a more dejected tone.
we may imagine a time when, in the infancy of the human race, some enterprising mortal crept into a hollow in a rock for shelter. who does not remember the interest with which, when young, he or she looked at shelving rocks, or any approach to a cave?
i found a leaning slab of rock and crept beneath it as a wild animal would have done. through the remaining hours of the night, i shivered and shook there, my imagination dulled, my ambition dampened.
adapted from henry david thoreau, walden and joe mills, a mountain boyhood
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Explanation:

A dejected tone conveys sadness, low spirits, and loss of motivation. The first passage uses warm, nostalgic language about curiosity and shelter. The second passage includes phrases like "shivered and shook", "imagination dulled", and "ambition dampened" that directly reflect dejection.

Answer:

I found a leaning slab of rock and crept beneath it as a wild animal would have done. Through the remaining hours of the night, I shivered and shook there, my imagination dulled, my ambition dampened.