Clarification to Summer Short Form Assignment

A student asked me via email what was meant by the section on style. Originally, there was an explanation on the back of the page, but it got left off the online version. Here it is:

Diction: (word choice) Is the diction formal, informal, colloquial? Is the language plain, flowery, concise, strong? Does the diction indicate the author's social status, education, region of the country?

Syntax: (word order, pattern) Are the sentences mostly simple or complex? Long or short? Is there much variety in the sentence pattern? Is there repetition? How does the author use syntax to create rhythm and flow of language? What effect is he/she creating?

This is what is meant by style.