Ican not use the word 'was' in an essay what other words could i use?

Which word best describes the tone of this excerpt from daly's sixteen

What are the answers to the commonlit article called booker t. washington v.s w.e.b du bois

Read this excerpt from the grapes of wrath: snub-nosed monsters, raising the dust and sticking theirsnouts into it, straight down the country, across thecountry through fences, through dooryards, and in and outof gullies in straight lineswhich best describes the tone in this passage