The assignment for this lesson is to read a passage and answer the following questions: What is the tone of the passage? Which words give the passage this tone, and how does this contribute to the overall meaning of the passage? Passage Her briefcase packed and the directions printed out, Janet straightened her jacket and strode out the door. Yes, she had burned her favorite interview blouse with the iron this morning, and, yes, she had found that her bread was moldy only after she'd taken her first bite of toast. But she was ready, firm in her goal: She would nail this interview and walk out the door with an offer.

The tone of the passage is "optimistic". The words "But she was ready, firm in her goal: She would nail this interview" imply that even after having some trouble, she managed to ignore it and continue. This contributes to the overall meaning of the passage by making the reader understand that obstacles may appear on your journey, but optimism helps you achieve your goals.

Explanation: The passage is written with an optimistic tone. A tone in a passage is responsible of transmitting the necessary feelings and ideas to the reader, in this case, after knowing all of the unfortunate events, and reading the words: "But she was ready, firm in her goal: She would nail this interview", the reader infers that the woman did not care about them, because she would still have a successful interview.