Here are the answers to your questions:
Question 1:
What is an author’s tone?
Answer: their attitude toward a subject
Question 2:
How do the words racket, sauntering, and smirked impact the paragraph’s overall meaning?
Answer: They imply the narrator considers the adventure a joke.
Question 3:
What is a word’s connotation?
Answer: the feeling the word gives the reader
Question 4:
What is etymology?
Answer: a word’s origin and how its meanings have changed over time
Question 5:
What is the origin of the phrase caveat emptor?
Answer: Latin
If you have more questions or need further explanation, feel free to ask!