Rhetorical Purpose
1) Which of the following best describes the rhetorical function of the last sentence of the first paragraph (lines 4-5)?
a) It helps to establish the speaker's credentials as an expert on the topic of the passage
b) It challenges a commonly held superstition to be discussed later in the passage
c) It introduces a major theme in the passage
d) It refers to an old saying about the consequences of overeating
e) It creates a rhetorical link between paragraph 1 and the first sentence of paragraph 2
e) It creates a rhetorical link between paragraph 1 and the first sentence of paragraph 2
3) Describing his culinary preferences in lines 1-10, the writer's primary purpose is to
a) outline standards for pleasurable eating
b) stress that regularly changing one's diet is good for you
c) flaunt his tendency to change his diet whenever he wants
d) urge the members of his audience to vary their food choices
e) describe a diet that his audience may do well to emulate
c) flaunt his tendency to change his diet whenever he wants
9) Drawing contrast is an effective rhetorical strategy. The principal contrast drawn by the speaker throughout the passage is between
a) theory and fact
b) conventions and individual preferences
c) old wives' tales and modern practices
d) youth and old age
e) restraint and freedom
b) conventions and individual preferences
5) The description of the speaker's "dainty tooth for fish" (line 11) contributes to the unity of the passage by
a) contrasting the tastes of two different foods
b) adding further details to the speaker's self-portrait
c) condemning those who do not observe meatless days
d) drawing a parallel between different kinds of cooking
e) commenting on the absurdity of the speaker's taste in food
b) adding further details to the speaker's self-portrait
12) The passage as a whole can best be described as
a) an authority's prescription for a better diet
b) an anecdote about old-fashioned eating customs
c) an account of one man's culinary preferences
d) a comparison of the speaker and his father
e) a reflection on unhealthful eating habits
c) an account of one man's culinary preferences
13) In the context of the passage, all of the following excerpts contain the same rhetorical device EXCEPT
a) "I first found to agree with me, afterwards disagreed" (line 7)
b) "changed...from white wine to claret, and back again" (line 9)
c) "not so much look to what we eat as to whom we eat with" (lines 21-22)
d) "eat more at leisure with a good friend, and less, and to eat oftener" (lines 24-25)
e) "they need more and more, and after that more again" (line 42)
e) "they need more and more, and after that more again" (line 42)
11) The rhetoric in the passage creates a portrait of a man who can best be described as..
a) shamelessly self absorbed
b) well educated
c) adaptable to change
d) cultured and sophisticated
e) pious and self-righteous
a) shamelessly self absorbed
2) The writer's rhetorical purpose in alluding in line 4 to "full and new moons" and also to seasons of the year is primarily to....
a) acknowledge his awareness that some foods are not available all the time
b) admit that some common superstitions may have merit
c) confess that he's occasionally fallen prey to irrational decision making
d) ridicule the notion that the moon and seasons guide our eating decisions
e) reject the idea that food choices need to vary according to the months and the seasons
D) ridicule the notion that the moon and seasons guide our eating decisions
(DAILY DOUBLE)
4) The speaker's references to radishes and to claret (lines 6-10) function in all the following ways EXCEPT to
a) prove the validity of the second paragraph's topic sentence
b) identify the changes that the speaker has experienced
c) define the word "fickle" (line 6)
d) add to the litany of the speaker's personal quirks
e) hint that the speaker has switched from a serious to an ironic tone
e) hint that the speaker has switched from a serious to an ironic tone
10) In context, which of the following statements accurately describes the writer's tone?
a) His tone when discussing salads and fruits (line 1) is hyper critical
b) He uses a vacillating tone when talking about radishes (lines 6-7)
c) When the subject is meat and fish (line 14), he adopts a peevish tone
d) The tone of his comment on skipping meals (line 15) is conciliatory
e) The tone of his reference to dinner companions (lines 24-25) is compassionate
b) He uses a vacillating tone when talking about radishes (lines 6-7)
7) The writer's main rhetorical purpose in lines 25-30 (starting with "But I would give hunger..") is to argue that
a) his advanced age accounts in part for his culinary eccentricities
b) the amount one eats is more important than what one eats
c) one should give physicians their due as responsible guides regarding what one should and should not eat
d) after a lifetime of eating whatever he desired, there is no reason to change now
e) "doctors and almanac makers" (lines 29-30) help people like the speaker to age gracefully
a) his advanced age accounts in part for his culinary eccentricities
8) In order to leave a rhetorical effect on his audience, the speaker overstates some of his thoughts. In context, which of the following excerpts is the idea most exaggerated?
a) "from wine to claret, and back again" (line 9)
b) "body and mind are made cruelly sluggish" (line 20)
c) "three or four wretched repasts a day" (line 26)
d) "from a bonnet to a lined hat" (line 35)
e) "a hare's skin and a vulture's plumage" (line 36)
e) "a hare's skin and a vulture's plumage" (line 36)
6) Which of the following best describes the rhetorical function of lines 24-28?
a) They serve as a transition between the paragraphs that come both before and after
b) They support the speaker's assertion that he likes all sauces (line 2)
c) They provide evidence contrary to material in the previous paragraph
d) They reiterate an idea presented in a previous paragraph
e) They state a logical conclusion based on statements in the previous paragraph
d) They reiterate an idea presented in a previous paragraph