Which statement correctly differentiates mood from tone?

• A. Mood is the writer’s attitude toward the reader; tone is the story’s atmosphere.
• B. Mood is the plot; tone is the setting.
• C. Mood is the author’s argument; tone is humor.
• D. Mood is the story’s atmosphere; tone is the writer’s emotion toward the subject.

Answer: (D)

Understanding mood versus tone helps you see how a text affects you as a reader and how the author signals his or her stance. Mood is the story’s atmosphere—the feeling the scene creates through setting, imagery, and sensory detail. Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject (and often toward the reader), shown through word choice, rhythm, and detail. The statement that mood is the story’s atmosphere and tone is the writer’s emotion toward the subject correctly captures this distinction. For example, eerie lighting and rain can create a tense mood, while a narrator’s dry, sardonic voice reveals a skeptical or ironic tone toward the events. Other choices blur these roles: mood isn’t the attitude toward the reader, mood isn’t the plot, and tone isn’t simply humor or the author’s argument.