Question

Read this excerpt from Silent Spring.

Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Everywhere was a shadow of death. The farmers spoke of much illness among their families.
Read this excerpt from "A Case for Waawaatesi".

Think of it this way, your ancestors navigated by the stars, and today most people won’t walk outside without a GPS. That’s a crazy loss of direction or skill at some level for sure. And while Indigenous peoples and many rural peoples can still see the stars, most of the world’s population cannot. That’s particularly an urban thing, where there’s all this light. From my farm, through the open skies, at night I can see the glow of Detroit Lakes, and that’s 25 miles away.

Which word best describes the tone used in both excerpts?

frustrated
passionate
wishful
insincere

Answer 1

passionate

Both excerpts convey strong feeling and concern—an urgent, heartfelt response to environmental and cultural loss—rather than insincerity or mere wistfulness.