Question

select the passage that has a more critical tone.
the solitary house stood in a sadly neglected garden. it was uninhabited, but had, within the last year or two, been cheaply repaired to render it habitable.
the little house seemed almost like a tent pitched against the sunshine. it had the crispness of a freshly starched summer gown, and the geraniums on the veranda bloomed like flowers in a bonnet.
adapted from charles dickens, \the haunted house\ and edith wharton, \the touchstone\

Explanation:

To determine which passage has a more critical tone, we analyze the language:

• The first passage describes the house as "solitary," in a "sadly neglected garden," "uninhabited," and "cheaply repaired"—these words (e.g., "sadly neglected," "cheaply repaired") convey disapproval or criticism of the house’s condition.
• The second passage uses positive/neutral imagery (e.g., "tent pitched against the sunshine," "crispness of a freshly starched summer gown," "bloomed like flowers in a bonnet") with no critical overtones.

Assuming the first passage (with "The solitary house stood...") is the one with the critical tone (since the question asks to "select the passage" with more critical tone, and the first passage’s word choice is critical), the answer would correspond to the passage containing:

The solitary house stood in a sadly neglected garden. It was uninhabited, but had, within the last year or two, been cheaply repaired to render it habitable.

Answer:

To determine which passage has a more critical tone, we analyze the language:

• The first passage describes the house as "solitary," in a "sadly neglected garden," "uninhabited," and "cheaply repaired"—these words (e.g., "sadly neglected," "cheaply repaired") convey disapproval or criticism of the house’s condition.
• The second passage uses positive/neutral imagery (e.g., "tent pitched against the sunshine," "crispness of a freshly starched summer gown," "bloomed like flowers in a bonnet") with no critical overtones.

Assuming the first passage (with "The solitary house stood...") is the one with the critical tone (since the question asks to "select the passage" with more critical tone, and the first passage’s word choice is critical), the answer would correspond to the passage containing:

The solitary house stood in a sadly neglected garden. It was uninhabited, but had, within the last year or two, been cheaply repaired to render it habitable.