Question

Read the excerpt from "Why Do Black Women Fear the Fro?” by Cheryl Thompson.

It's about uncovering the truth: when a black woman turns on her television, reads a magazine, or watches a movie, most of the images of black beauty she sees are fake, and her natural self becomes even more difficult to love.

Amid all these images, and all the time spent thinking about how to "fix" their hair problems, black women across North America face harsh realities that are not being discussed. A lot of black women are stuck in low-paying jobs, we're barely seen on television and in film, and we're often negatively depicted as . . . vixens in hip-hop.

Which phrase best shows how the author’s diction creates a bleak mood?

“uncovering the truth”
“images of black beauty”
“‘fix’ their hair problems”
“face harsh realities”

Answer 1

“face harsh realities”

The phrase “harsh realities” uses bleak, negative diction that directly conveys a grim, discouraging mood; “face” adds a sense of unavoidable confrontation.