English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Argumentation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which rhetorical strategy involves acknowledging and then refuting an opposing viewpoint?
- Ethos appeal
- Concession and rebuttal (Correct answer)
- Circular reasoning
- Anaphora
Correct answer: Concession and rebuttal
Concession and rebuttal strengthens an argument by showing the writer understands opposing views and can counter them.
Question 2: In argumentation, what is the primary purpose of a warrant?
- To provide statistical evidence for a claim
- To connect evidence to the claim by explaining the underlying assumption (Correct answer)
- To restate the thesis in the conclusion
- To introduce a counterargument
Correct answer: To connect evidence to the claim by explaining the underlying assumption
A warrant is the logical link that explains why the evidence supports the claim, often an unstated assumption.
Question 3: A writer states: 'Studies show teens sleep-deprived; therefore, school should start later.' What is missing from this argument?
- A stronger thesis
- A warrant explaining why later start times address sleep deprivation (Correct answer)
- More pathos appeals
- A counterargument
Correct answer: A warrant explaining why later start times address sleep deprivation
Without a warrant, the argument assumes—but does not prove—that changing start times will solve the sleep problem.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes a 'straw man' fallacy?
- Overgeneralizing from a single example
- Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack (Correct answer)
- Appealing to the authority of an unqualified expert
- Drawing a false comparison between two unrelated things
Correct answer: Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack
A straw man fallacy distorts or exaggerates the opposing view so it can be more easily defeated.
Question 5: When a writer uses the phrase 'We must act now—every second of delay costs a child's future,' which appeal is most dominant?
- Logos
- Ethos
- Pathos (Correct answer)
- Kairos only
Correct answer: Pathos
The urgent emotional language about children's futures is a pathos appeal designed to evoke fear and compassion.
Question 6: What distinguishes inductive reasoning from deductive reasoning in argumentation?
- Inductive moves from specific observations to a general conclusion; deductive applies a general principle to a specific case (Correct answer)
- Inductive relies on authority; deductive relies on statistics
- Inductive always reaches false conclusions; deductive always reaches true ones
- Inductive uses pathos; deductive uses logos
Correct answer: Inductive moves from specific observations to a general conclusion; deductive applies a general principle to a specific case
Inductive reasoning builds generalizations from examples, while deductive reasoning applies established generalizations to specific situations.
Question 7: A college essay argues that online learning is inferior by citing one student's bad experience. This is an example of which fallacy?
- Ad hominem
- Hasty generalization (Correct answer)
- Slippery slope
- False dichotomy
Correct answer: Hasty generalization
Drawing a broad conclusion about online learning from one anecdote is a hasty generalization.
English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Argumentation 2
Which rhetorical strategy involves acknowledging and then refuting an opposing viewpoint?