Rhetorical Devices
Q: If a writer includes shocking statistics in an article, what is most likely their purpose?
A) To entertain
B) To inform
C) To persuade
D) To confuse
C) To persuade
Q: Which sentence appeals to pathos?
A) "Over 70% of people experience this issue."
B) "This product is FDA approved."
C) "No child should have to sleep in the cold tonight."
D) "This was made with advanced engineering."
C) "No child should have to sleep in the cold tonight."
Q: In the sentence “Her explanation was vague and left everyone uncertain,” what does vague mean?
A) Clear
B) Confusing
C) Detailed
D) Funny
B) Confusing
📜 Excerpt:
"A Bird came down the Walk –
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw..."
Q: What type of imagery is most strongly used in these lines?
A) Auditory
B) Visual
C) Tactile
D) Olfactory
B) Visual
"Her voice was music, rising and falling like a violin's bow across the strings of the evening air."
Q: What literary device is most strongly used in this excerpt?
A) Simile
B) Personification
C) Hyperbole
D) Metaphor
D) Metaphor
Q: What rhetorical device is used when a writer asks a question but does not expect an answer?
A) Alliteration
B) Hyperbole
C) Rhetorical question
D) Personification
C) Rhetorical question
Q: A commercial featuring a doctor recommending a medication is using:
A) Logos
B) Pathos
C) Ethos
D) Irony
C) Ethos
Q: In the sentence “Despite the storm, the captain remained steadfast in his decision to sail forward,” what does the word steadfast most likely mean?
A) Angry and bitter
B) Confused and scared
C) Loyal and firm
D) Nervous and timid
C) Loyal and firm
📜 Excerpt:
"Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –"
Q: What figurative device is used to describe hope in this poem?
A) Simile
B) Personification
C) Metaphor
D) Hyperbole
C) Metaphor
📜 Excerpt:
"The wind crept through the trees, whispering secrets no one could quite hear."
Q: What mood is created by the imagery in this sentence?
A) Peaceful and joyful
B) Mysterious and eerie
C) Bright and hopeful
D) Harsh and angry
B) Mysterious and eerie
Q: What rhetorical device is used in this sentence?
“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields...”
A) Alliteration
B) Epistrophe
C) Anaphora
D) Parallelism
C) Anaphora
(Repetition at the beginning of successive clauses)
Q: Why might a speaker use pathos early in a persuasive speech?
A) To confuse the audience
B) To gain emotional engagement and build interest
C) To establish credibility
D) To avoid using evidence
B) To gain emotional engagement and build interest
Q: In the sentence “The critic’s remarks were especially caustic, leaving the young author visibly shaken,” what does caustic most likely mean?
A) Mild and polite
B) Deep and thoughtful
C) Harsh and scathing
D) Long and boring
C) Harsh and scathing
📜 Excerpt:
"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain..."
Q: In this poem, what does the funeral most likely symbolize?
A) A literal death
B) A religious ritual
C) Mental or emotional distress
D) A physical illness
C) Mental or emotional distress
📜 Excerpt:
"Let me now... warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally."
Q: What rhetorical device is used in this excerpt, and what effect does it create?
A) Euphemism – to soften a harsh idea
B) Hyperbole – to exaggerate the danger
C) Diction – formal word choice to emphasize seriousness
D) Paradox – to challenge a common belief
C) Diction – formal word choice to emphasize seriousness
"The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism."
Q: Which rhetorical appeal is Washington using in this sentence?
A) Ethos – establishing his credibility as president
B) Logos – using logic and facts
C) Pathos – appealing to patriotic emotion
D) Anaphora – repeating a phrase
C) Pathos – appealing to patriotic emotion
Q: In an argumentative article, the author presents scientific studies, uses logical transitions, and cites expert opinions. What is the primary rhetorical appeal being used?
A) Pathos
B) Ethos
C) Logos
D) Anecdote
C) Logos
Q: In the sentence “The plan was untenable once new evidence proved the theory false,” what does untenable most likely mean?
A) Impossible to defend or justify
B) Easy to accomplish
C) Based on strong logic
D) Financially risky
A) Impossible to defend or justify
📜 Excerpt:
"The Soul selects her own Society –
Then – shuts the Door –
To her divine Majority –
Present no more –"
Q: Which line includes an implied simile or metaphor about the soul’s behavior?
A) “The Soul selects her own Society”
B) “Then – shuts the Door –”
C) “To her divine Majority”
D) “Present no more –”
B) “Then – shuts the Door –”
📜 Excerpt (Nonfiction):
"By comparing current social trends to those of past centuries, the author highlights how history often repeats itself."
Q: What is the author’s primary purpose in using comparison in this excerpt?
A) To entertain the reader with stories from history
B) To explain how people from the past were smarter
C) To show that social patterns can be recurring
D) To argue that the past is more important than the future
C) To show that social patterns can be recurring
"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence... the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake..."
Q: What is the tone and purpose of this statement?
A) Optimistic; to promote alliances
B) Informative; to list foreign threats
C) Cautionary; to warn against foreign entanglements
D) Encouraging; to support global cooperation
C) Cautionary; to warn against foreign entanglements
Q: A political candidate says: “I served this country overseas, and I will serve you here at home.” This most clearly appeals to:
A) Pathos and Logos
B) Ethos and Pathos
C) Logos only
D) None of the above
B) Ethos and Pathos
Q: In the sentence “He approached the problem with pragmatic thinking, focusing on what worked instead of ideals,” what does pragmatic mean?
A) Imaginative and creative
B) Practical and realistic
C) Theoretical
D) Lazy
B) Practical and realistic
📜 Excerpt:
"Much Madness is divinest Sense –
To a discerning Eye –"
Q: Which statement best describes the paradox in this line?
A) Madness is actually dangerous
B) Only crazy people make sense
C) What seems like madness may actually be wisdom
D) Madness and sense are not related
C) What seems like madness may actually be wisdom
📜 Excerpt:
"The sky was dark with clouds, and the ocean’s waves crashed relentlessly against the jagged rocks, as if nature itself were in rebellion against the tranquility of the world."
Q: What is the symbolism of the stormy sky and crashing waves in this excerpt?
A) They symbolize calm and peace, showing a balance between nature and humanity.
B) They represent conflict and chaos, emphasizing a struggle between the natural world and human stability.
C) They symbolize hope and renewal, suggesting that a storm brings growth and opportunity.
D) They show the peaceful inevitability of nature, reminding readers of the passage of time.
B) They represent conflict and chaos, emphasizing a struggle between the natural world and human stability.