Tenor describes which aspect of a communicative event?

• A. Field
• B. Tenor
• C. Mode
• D. Context

Answer: (B)

Tenor describes the social relationship between participants in a communicative event and the level of formality that relationship requires. It covers factors like power differences, status, distance, and the degree of courtesy or deference expected in the language. This is why it’s the best fit: field is about what’s happening (the topic and actions), mode is about how the message is delivered (spoken vs written, channel), and context concerns the overall situation. For example, a formal report to a supervisor uses a high-tenor register with careful, respectful language, while a casual chat with a friend uses a low-tenor, more relaxed style.