Question

It is the height of rudeness for young people not to go and shake hands with an older lady of their acquaintance when they meet her away from home, if she is a hostess to whose house they have often gone. It is not at all necessary for either young women or young men to linger and enter into a conversation, unless the older lady detains them, which she should not do beyond the briefest minute.

Which best describes the style and tone of the passage?
neutral
cynical
sympathetic
assertive

Answer 1

assertive

The passage gives firm, prescriptive instructions about expected behavior, using definitive language ("It is the height of rudeness," "It is not at all necessary," "she should not do") rather than a neutral, sympathetic, or cynical tone.