Claims that Cook (thesis statements)
Which of the following should NOT be included in a Rhetorical Analysis thesis statement?
A. The speaker's purpose
B. Specific rhetorical strategies/choices
C. Specific details/evidence from the text
D. Context
What is C?
Save your quotes and specific details for your body paragraphs!
In his speech paying tribute to Rosa Parks, former president Barack Obama said the following about those involved in the Montgomery bus boycott: "They began a boycott--teachers and laborers, clergy and domestics, through rain and cold and sweltering heat, day after day, week after week, month after month, walking miles if they had to, arranging carpools where they could, not thinking about the blisters on their feet, the weariness after a full day of work..."
Which of the following is NOT a rhetorical strategy used in this quotation?
A. Parallelism
B. Imagery
C. Metaphor
D. Asyndeton
What is C?
This is the perfect environment for rhetoric to occur. It includes the speaker, audience, occasion, context, and purpose.
This category is worth four out of six points and gives you the most "bang for your buck" on your essay.
What is EVIDENCE & COMMENTARY?
This musical artist was the main performer at the 2025 Super Bowl.
Who is Kendrick Lamar?
For any AP essay, your thesis statement must be ____________________ to receive the thesis point.
What is DEFENSIBLE?
Also accepted: supported/able to be supported
In her 2016 commencement speech, Rita Dove stated the following: "There's only so much knowledge that can be taught; hard facts are just that--solid, dense entities, the stones in a swiftly flowing stream of possibilities."
In this sentence, Dove utilizes ________ to emphasize the fact that there is more to life than what is taught in school.
A. Personification
B. a metaphor
C. metonymy
D. a simile
What is B?
A metaphor is a comparison WITHOUT "like" or "as"!
A. Claim of Fact
B. Claim of Policy
C. Claim of Value
D. Claim of Action
What is B?
In order to make higher than a 2 on the Synthesis essay, you must cite at least this number of sources.
What is three?
DAILY DOUBLE
How well do you know Mrs. A? Which of the following is NOT one of Mrs. A's pets?
A. Dog
B. Snake
C. Bearded Dragon
D. Blue-tongued Skink
E. Tarantula
What is C? Mrs. A does NOT own a bearded dragon.
Also accepted answer on a technicality: E because Mrs. A does not claim the tarantulas--they are Mr. Ainsworth's.
Which of the following is an effective thesis statement?
A. Urban rewilding will allow certain portions of some cities to regain the wildlife that once lived in the area.
B. While not always possible in every city, urban rewilding efforts are still extremely worthwhile due to their positive impact on air quality and mental health.
C. Many experts favor urban rewilding because of its benefits for both humans and animals, while others worry about the safety and health issues that might arise.
D. Having started in Europe, urban rewilding is becoming popular in the United States too.
What is B?
This thesis statement has a clear position AND is a closed thesis!
DAILY DOUBLE
Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" relies HEAVILY on this technique to suggest that the Irish eat their own children.
What is SATIRE?
Speakers use this appeal to make themselves appear to be a trustworthy and credible source to their audience.
What is ETHOS?
To score 4/4 points for Evidence & Commentary on the Rhetorical Analysis essay, you must...
A. Explain how multiple rhetorical choices contribute to the speaker's purpose, argument, or message.
B. Explain a purpose or function of the passage's complexities or tensions.
C. Employ a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
D. Explain how at least one rhetorical choice contributes to the speaker's purpose, argument, or message.
What is A?
Connect at least TWO rhetorical choices to the speaker's overall purpose/argument!
Earlier this year, this basketball player was named for his 21st consecutive All-Star game, extending his record for most appearances in NBA history. He was also named as an honorary chair for the 2025 Met Gala. Unfortunately, he has had to step back from both events due to injury.
Who is LEBRON JAMES?
Which of the following is NOT an effective Rhetorical Analysis thesis statement?
A. Sotomayor uses vivid imagery and memories to convey her message about her identity as a ‘Newyorkrican’ Latina.
B. In her 2001 speech, Sonia Sotomayor uses evocative diction, comparison and contrast, and colorful imagery to convey for her audience what it means for her to be a Latina-American.
C. Sonia Sotomayor navigates a difficult discussion about racial and ethnic identity by taking her own personal experiences as a Latina and situating them within the larger issue of the tension between ‘the melting pot and the salad bowl’ that was being debated in the country at the time of her speech.
D. In her speech to the Berkeley School of Law in 2001, Sonia Sotomayor claims that her parents taught her how to love her own identity as a Latina.”
What is D?
This thesis statement does not mention any rhetorical strategies!
What are personal anecdotes?
Also known as the occasion, this is the motivating factor that leads a speaker to deliver a particular message at a particular time.
What is EXIGENCE?
All of the following are ways to earn the sophistication point on the Argument OR Synthesis essay EXCEPT...
A. addressing the broader context of the issue.
B. strengthening your own argument by using rhetorical strategies.
C. including a one-sentence counterargument.
D. employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
What is C. including a one-sentence counterargument?
All of the following artists have been announced as performers at ACL in 2025 EXCEPT...
A. Hozier
B. Doja Cat
C. Sabrina Carpenter
D. Noah Kahan
What is D?
Noah Kahan is NOT scheduled to perform at ACL this year.
Which of the following thesis statements would earn the Rhetorical Analysis thesis point?
A. Johnson uses rhetorical choices to achieve her purpose of paying tribute to Eleanor Roosevelt.
B. Johnson lists important examples from Eleanor Roosevelt’s work with others to pay tribute to her life.
C. Johnson praises Eleanor Roosevelt, stating that the First Lady was kind and more importantly that she represented American ideals to the world.”
D. In her speech given at the first anniversary luncheon of the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation, Claudia Johnson effectively pays tribute to the former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.
What is B?
In his moving speech during WWII, Winston Churchill stated the following: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields..."
Beginning each phrase with "we shall fight" is an example of _________________________. This is a specific TYPE of repetition.
What is ANAPHORA?
This is the role/character the speaker wants to be perceived as. Think of it as a sort of "mask" the speaker puts on.
What is PERSONA?
To get all of the Evidence & Commentary points on the Argument and Synthesis essays, you must have a ________________. This means that all of your ideas logically flow from one to the next rather than being presented as disjointed claims.
What is a LINE OF REASONING?
All of the following are Italian Brainrot characters except...
A. Chimpanzini Bananini
B. Tricki Tracka Trellas
C. Lololitto Deo Lalazza
D. il cacto hipopotamo
What is C. Lololitto Deo Lalazza?