Purpose and Rhetoric
The rhetorical appeal to credibility or character.
What is ethos?
A writer presents an issue, then a way to fix it
What is problem and solution?
A thesis that acknowledges the other side often begins with one of these words.
What is "although" or "while"?
The source-evaluation test: currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, purpose.
What is the CRAAP test?
In a synthesis essay, sources are evidence. Who makes the argument?
Who is the writer? Sources support the claim; they don't replace it.
An author describes a starving puppy before asking for donations. Which appeal?
What is pathos?
The reason why a biography of a civil rights leader uses chronological order
What is to show growth and how events build on each other over time?
What is wrong with the thesis "Social media is bad"?
It's vague: no specific claim, scope, or reasoning.
A claim about teen sleep cites a mattress company's blog. What is the weakness?
What is bias? The source profits from the conclusion.
Give a phrase that introduces a source that complicates another.
Example: "While Source A argues..., Source B complicates this by..."
The difference between an author's purpose and an author's message
What is: Purpose is why they wrote (to persuade, inform); message is what they want readers to understand or believe. ?
An author opens in the middle of the action, then goes back to explain how things got there.
What is in medias res (or flashback / nonlinear structure)?
The part of an argument that answers and refutes the counterclaim.
What is the rebuttal?
When should you paraphrase instead of quote?
When the idea matters more than the exact wording, or to condense a long passage.
What is the "conversation" among sources?
How sources agree, extend, or challenge each other on an issue, which the writer then joins.
In SOAPSTone, what do the O and the T stand for?
What are occasion and tone?
How does a cause-and-effect structure help an author persuade?
It links an action to its consequences, making the call for change feel logical and urgent.
Fact, value, or policy? "Schools should eliminate final exams."
What is a claim of policy?
Claim: Later start times improve teen safety. Best evidence?
(A) A teen says mornings feel dangerous.
(B) Crash data for teen drivers before and after a district changed start times.
(C) A definition of circadian rhythm.
What is B? It directly links start times to a safety outcome.
Why is "Source A says... Source B says... Source C says..." weak synthesis?
It's a list of summaries with no connections and no claim.
How can a text's purpose be both to inform and to persuade? Give an example.
Facts are selected and arranged to push a position (e.g., a documentary that informs while arguing for change).
An article moves from a personal anecdote, to statistics, to a call to action. How does that structure build the argument?
It hooks with emotion, builds credibility with data, then channels both into action.
Revise into a nuanced thesis: "Video games are good for kids."
Example: While excessive gaming can harm sleep, strategy games can build problem-solving when time is limited.
What is the difference between relevant and sufficient evidence?
Relevant connects to the claim; sufficient means there is enough strong evidence to convince.
Two sources reach opposite conclusions from the same data. What should a writer analyze?
Their purposes, assumptions, and methods, then take a position.