GRE Author Attitude and Tone Questions: Reading the Author's Stance

Author attitude questions ask how the author feels about a subject: approving, skeptical, neutral, critical, admiring. The answer lives in the author's word choice, not in the facts of the passage.

Students who read only for content miss these. You have to read for stance — the small evaluative signals that reveal judgment.

Look for adjectives and verbs that carry judgment: "persuasively," "unfortunately," "fails to," "remarkable," "overstated." A single loaded word often settles the author's attitude.

Note where the author hedges versus commits. "Some critics claim" is distancing; "the evidence clearly shows" is endorsement. The contrast between cautious and confident phrasing maps the author's view.

GRE authors are rarely at the extremes. Pure contempt or unconditional praise is uncommon in academic prose. Answers like "qualified approval," "cautious skepticism," or "measured criticism" are more often right than "complete dismissal" or "unreserved enthusiasm."

If two answers fit the direction of the author's feeling, the more moderate one usually wins, because the passage almost always includes some hedging.

As you read, jot a plus, minus, or zero next to each viewpoint to mark the author's lean. When a tone question appears, you already have the direction; then choose the answer whose intensity matches the passage's actual language. Direction first, then intensity.