Lecture 4: Reading Comprehension – Tones and Undertones

Key Topics

• Importance of understanding tones and undertones for exams like CAT.
• Strategies to identify and evaluate tones in passages.
• Master list of tones: terms and vocabulary.
• Practical exercises and live passages.

Objectives

• Understand the significance of tones in reading comprehension.
• Learn strategies to identify and evaluate tones and undertones.
• Build vocabulary related to different tones.
• Practice with live passages to improve reading skills and confidence.

Introduction

• Lecturer: Amit from IIM, with extensive experience in MBA and entrance exam coaching.
• Focus: Tones in reading comprehension passages.
• Importance of tones in understanding the mood and intention of the author.

Why Tones Matter?

1. Understanding the Author's Mood: Helps to grasp the central idea, theme, and summary of passages.
2. Critical for Answers: Essential for answering questions about the passage’s tone and underlying messages.

Strategies to Identify Tones

1. Passage's Style and Flow: Identify the organization and style of the passage.
2. Author’s Contribution and Choice of Words:
   • Look for specific adjectives and adverbs.
   • Notice word choice indicating mood (happy, sad, neutral, sarcastic, etc.).
3. Context and Comparison: Understand the author's tone by comparing it with subjects, concepts, or individuals.

Master List of Tones

• Harsh, Astringent, Dislike: Acrimonious, Scornful, Incisive, Cutting.
• Aggressive, Belligerent: Argumentative, Combative, Hostile.
• Superior, Patronizing: Snobbish, Supercilious, Haughty, Condescending.
• Uninspired, Pedestrian: Commonplace, Ordinary, Basic.
• Humorous, Sarcastic: Satirical, Mocking, Ironic.
• Skeptical, Speculative: Hypothetical, Conjectural.
• Technical, Analytical: Subject-specific, Detailed, Complex.
• Descriptive, Laudatory: Praising, Celebratory.

Practical Exercise: Live Passage

• Passage: Discussion on Ruskin Bond’s works, including