Question

read the excerpt from silent spring
on the farms the hens brooded, but no chicks hatched.
the farmers complained that they were unable to raise
any pigs—the litters were small and the young survived
only a few days. the apple trees were coming into
bloom but no bees droned among the blossoms, so
there was no pollination and there would be no fruit
what kind of tone do the underlined words create?
○ bewildered
○ threatening
○ courageous
○ insignificant

Explanation:

The underlined words ("no chicks", "no bees", "no pollination", "no fruit") describe a series of negative, harmful outcomes in the ecosystem (failed hatching, lack of pollination, no fruit). This creates a sense of danger or harm, matching the "threatening" tone. "Bewildered" implies confusion (not shown here), "courageous" is positive (opposite of the context), and "insignificant" downplays the severity (these events are impactful).

Answer:

B. threatening