English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Rhetorical Analysis 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writing a rhetorical analysis essay should avoid which of the following common errors?
- Identifying the rhetorical appeals used in the text
- Simply labeling devices without explaining their effect on the audience (Correct answer)
- Connecting diction choices to the author's overall purpose
- Discussing how the context shapes the author's choices
Correct answer: Simply labeling devices without explaining their effect on the audience
Merely naming a device (e.g., 'the author uses metaphor') without explaining why it is effective earns little credit on the AP exam.
Question 2: In a speech, a senator says: 'My colleagues across the aisle are not evilâthey are simply mistaken.' This is best described as:
- An ad hominem attack dressed as a compliment
- A concession that preserves ethos by avoiding personal attacks (Correct answer)
- An appeal to logos through logical differentiation
- An example of paralipsis
Correct answer: A concession that preserves ethos by avoiding personal attacks
By distinguishing between malice and error, the senator makes a concession that appears fair-minded, strengthening her own ethical credibility.
Question 3: Which best describes the purpose of analyzing syntax in a rhetorical passage?
- To count the number of words per sentence
- To determine the author's nationality and dialect
- To understand how sentence structure, length, and arrangement shape meaning and emphasis (Correct answer)
- To identify spelling and grammatical errors
Correct answer: To understand how sentence structure, length, and arrangement shape meaning and emphasis
Syntax analysis examines how the construction and arrangement of sentences create rhythm, emphasis, and rhetorical effect.
Question 4: An author ends every paragraph of an essay with the phrase 'and still, we wait.' This is an example of:
- Anaphora
- Epistrophe (Correct answer)
- Symploce
- Anadiplosis
Correct answer: Epistrophe
Epistrophe is the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or paragraphs.
Question 5: When an author uses an allusion to the myth of Sisyphus while writing about a futile political reform effort, the primary rhetorical effect is:
- To confuse readers unfamiliar with Greek mythology
- To invoke a culturally shared image of endless, pointless labor to characterize the reform (Correct answer)
- To demonstrate the author's creative writing skills
- To shift the argument from logos to ethos
Correct answer: To invoke a culturally shared image of endless, pointless labor to characterize the reform
The Sisyphus allusion efficiently conveys the idea of hopeless, repetitive effort by referencing a story shared by the educated audience.
Question 6: Which term describes a writer's deliberate choice to mention something while claiming not to mention it (e.g., 'I won't even bring up his criminal record')?
- Litotes
- Paralipsis (Correct answer)
- Zeugma
- Synecdoche
Correct answer: Paralipsis
Paralipsis (also called apophasis) draws attention to something by pretending to pass over it, allowing the writer to plant information while denying responsibility.
Question 7: In AP rhetorical analysis, a 'line of reasoning' refers to:
- The author's grammatical consistency throughout the text
- The sequence of claims and evidence the author uses to support the thesis (Correct answer)
- The emotional progression from calm to excited tone
- The number of rhetorical devices per paragraph
Correct answer: The sequence of claims and evidence the author uses to support the thesis
A line of reasoning is the logical chainâhow claims build on each other and connect to evidenceâthat supports the overarching argument.
English Language and Composition Exam AP English Language and Composition Rhetorical Analysis 5
A student writing a rhetorical analysis essay should avoid which of the following common errors?