LAMDA Public Speaking and Rhetoric 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In classical rhetoric, what does 'kairos' refer to?
- The speaker's credibility
- The right or opportune moment to speak (Correct answer)
- The emotional appeal to the audience
- The logical structure of an argument
Correct answer: The right or opportune moment to speak
Kairos is the Greek concept of seizing the right moment or timing one's speech for maximum effectiveness.
Question 2: Which vocal technique involves deliberately slowing speech to emphasize a critical point?
- Inflection
- Projection
- Pace variation (Correct answer)
- Resonance
Correct answer: Pace variation
Pace variation — specifically slowing down — draws audience attention to key ideas and signals importance.
Question 3: A speaker uses a story about a single refugee to illustrate a broader immigration crisis. This is an example of:
- Anaphora
- Synecdoche
- Prosopopoeia
- The identifiable victim effect (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The identifiable victim effect
The identifiable victim effect is the psychological tendency for people to respond more strongly to one named individual than to abstract statistics.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'signpost' in a speech?
- To open with a dramatic statement
- To signal transitions and guide the audience through structure (Correct answer)
- To summarize the conclusion
- To introduce the speaker's credentials
Correct answer: To signal transitions and guide the audience through structure
Signposts are transitional phrases that orient listeners within the speech's structure, such as 'Moving on to my second point...'
Question 5: Which rhetorical device repeats a word or phrase at the END of successive clauses?
- Anaphora
- Epistrophe (Correct answer)
- Chiasmus
- Anadiplosis
Correct answer: Epistrophe
Epistrophe (also called epiphora) places repeated words at the clause's end, as in Lincoln's 'of the people, by the people, for the people.'
Question 6: In LAMDA public speaking assessments, 'sustained engagement' primarily refers to:
- Maintaining eye contact for the entire speech
- Keeping the audience's attention and involvement throughout the performance (Correct answer)
- Speaking without notes from start to finish
- Using continuous movement across the stage
Correct answer: Keeping the audience's attention and involvement throughout the performance
Sustained engagement means the speaker continuously connects with and holds the audience's interest through varied technique and genuine communication.
Question 7: When preparing for an impromptu speech, the PREP structure stands for:
- Point, Reason, Example, Point (Correct answer)
- Prepare, Rehearse, Evaluate, Perform
- Premise, Research, Evidence, Persuade
- Purpose, Rhetoric, Emotion, Proof
Correct answer: Point, Reason, Example, Point
PREP (Point, Reason, Example, Point) is a framework for quickly structuring impromptu responses by stating a view, justifying it, illustrating it, and restating it.
LAMDA Public Speaking and Rhetoric 2
In classical rhetoric, what does 'kairos' refer to?