The Basics of Rhetoric
Persuasive Arguments
Synthesis
Rhetorical Analysis
Acronyms
100

The art of using language to inform, entertain, or persuade

What is rhetoric?

100

In an argument, the sequence of reasons that are logically organized and come together to support a claim

What is a line of reasoning?
100

3

How many sources from the prompt do you HAVE to use in your argument?

100

A deliberate decision made by a speaker in order to improve or enhance their rhetoric.

What is a rhetorical choice?

100
The acronym that is used to analyze a piece of rhetoric and its rhetorical situation (just the word, not the parts).

What is SPACE CAT?

200

The classical names for the methods of persuasion - appealing to logic, emotion, or credibility.

What are ethos, pathos, and logos?

200

An explicit direction from the speaker for the audience to do something.

What is a call to action?

200

A photograph would be described as this kind of visual source.

What is qualitative?

200

Telling a brief story to provide an example of the claim being made or give more insight into the current situation.

What is an anecdote?

Also acceptable: personal experience.

200

The parts of the acronym that should be used to write a body paragraph.


What are Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning?

300

The set of circumstances in which a piece of rhetoric is delivered

What is a rhetorical situation?

300

An explanation of how your evidence connects to your reasons and, ultimately, your claim; the last part of a CER chunk.

What is reasoning?

300
  • Further evidence (CHORES)

  • Dialogue with sources

  • Dialogue between sources

What are the three discussion moves you can make during the "mean" part of a say mean matter chunk?

300

A reference to a well-known event, person, place, or story.

What is an allusion?

300

The parts of OPTIC I would need to use to analyze this visual source.

What is overview, parts, title, inference, conclusion?

400

The urgent problem or issue that is being addressed by a piece of rhetoric; why NOW?

What is exigence?

400

Bringing up a point that those who disagree with you make in order to disprove that point and therefore strengthen your own argument.

What is refuting?

Also accepted: Acknowledging the opposition, counterarguments, and refutation

400

Economically, Politically, Realistically, Historically, Morally, etc.

What are approaches (that you can use to generate reasons for an argument)?

400

Personal observation, testimonial, statistics, and examples are just a few of these.

What are types of evidence?

400

The parts of the acronym that give you the types of evidence you can use from your own background knowledge when you don't have access to sources or the internet.

What are current events, history, observations, reading, entertainment, and situations?

500

The Greek philosopher who coined the term 'rhetoric'

Who is Aristotle?

500

A method of organization for a persuasive argument that starts with the context and claim, gives reasons, and ends with a call to action. This method is used when you believe that your audience AGREES with you.

What is deductive reasoning?

500

This citation format is used for humanities and is therefore used in the class. In-text citations in this format have the author's last name and page numbers, if applicable.

What is MLA formatting?

500
The things associated with a piece of diction, rather than the primary definition of the word.

What is connotation?

500
The parts of the acronym that are used to analyze a piece of rhetoric and its rhetorical situation.

What are speaker, purpose, audience, context, exigence, choices, appeals, and tone?

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