Network
Earthquake is any sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks. Seismic waves are produced when some form of energy stored in Earth’s crust is suddenly released, usually when masses of rock straining against one another suddenly fracture and “slip.” Earthquakes occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in relation to one another. The major fault lines of the world are located at the fringes of the huge tectonic plates that make up Earth’s crust.
Little was understood about earthquakes until the emergence of seismology at the beginning of the 20th century. Seismology, which involves the scientific study of all aspects of earthquakes, has yielded answers to such long-standing questions as why and how earthquakes occur. About 50,000 earthquakes large enough to be noticed without the aid of instruments occur annually over the entire Earth. Of these, approximately 100 are of sufficient size to produce substantial damage if their centers are near areas of habitation. Very great earthquakes occur on average about once per year. Over the centuries they have been responsible for millions of deaths and an incalculable amount of damage to property.
What is the author’s attitude towards the topic of the passage?
A. Concerned
B. Critical
C. Informative
D. Satisfied
E. Optimistic
Jawaban: C
Pembahasan:
Soal menanyakan sikap penulis terhadap teks tersebut.
Sikap penulis dalam sebuah wacana dinyatakan dengan kata sifat, seperti yang terlihat pada pilihan-pilihan yang tersedia. Supaya dapat menentukan kata sifat yang tepat, pembaca perlu memperhatikan hal-hal seperti pilihan kata, jenis kalimat (kalimat fakta atau opini), asumsi, kesimpulan, dan keberpihakan penulis baik yang tersurat maupun tersirat dalam tulisannya.
Teks bacaan menunjukan bahwa topik pembicaraan penulis adalah peristiwa gempa bumi. Di paragraf pertama, penulis memberikan definisi serta menjelaskan proses terjadinya gempa bumi. Di paragraf selanjutnya, penulis berbicara tentang bidang keilmuan seismologi serta terobosan yang dicapainya.
Dalam kedua paragraf tersebut, penulis secara konsisten memakai kalimat-kalimat yang bersifat faktual. Selain itu, tidak ada kalimat, frasa, atau kata yang memperlihatkan reaksi pribadi penulis terhadap topik yang dibicarakannya. Dari lima pilihan kata sifat yang tersedia, kata informative adalah kata yang paling tepat menggambarkan sikap penulis.
