TDA Author's Craft and Style 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of using repetition as a stylistic device in an argumentative or literary text?
- To emphasize a key idea or create rhythm and impact (Correct answer)
- To fill space when the author runs out of ideas
- To confuse the reader with redundant information
- To avoid using varied vocabulary
Correct answer: To emphasize a key idea or create rhythm and impact
Repetition is used intentionally to stress important concepts, reinforce arguments, or create a memorable rhythm.
Question 2: If an author uses statistics and expert quotes alongside emotional anecdotes, what is the author doing?
- Combining logos (logic) and pathos (emotion) as rhetorical strategies (Correct answer)
- Contradicting their own argument with conflicting evidence
- Writing an informal personal narrative
- Avoiding the use of author's craft
Correct answer: Combining logos (logic) and pathos (emotion) as rhetorical strategies
Blending logical evidence with emotional appeal is a deliberate rhetorical craft choice to persuade a broad audience.
Question 3: How does analyzing sentence structure (syntax) contribute to a TDA response?
- It reveals how the author controls pacing, emphasis, and complexity to shape meaning (Correct answer)
- It only matters in poetry, not in prose or informational texts
- It replaces the need to cite evidence from the passage
- It focuses solely on grammar errors the author made
Correct answer: It reveals how the author controls pacing, emphasis, and complexity to shape meaning
Syntax analysis examines how the arrangement of words and clauses creates emphasis, reflects character, or controls the reader's experience.
Question 4: What does it mean when an author uses an 'extended metaphor' throughout a text?
- A single comparison is developed and sustained across multiple paragraphs or the entire piece (Correct answer)
- A metaphor that uses very long, complex sentences
- A comparison between two texts written in different time periods
- A metaphor that appears only in the conclusion of a passage
Correct answer: A single comparison is developed and sustained across multiple paragraphs or the entire piece
An extended metaphor builds upon a single comparison consistently throughout a text, deepening its meaning and impact.
Question 5: Which question is MOST effective when analyzing author's craft in a TDA response?
- Why did the author choose this specific technique, and what effect does it have on the reader? (Correct answer)
- Does the author use any adjectives in this paragraph?
- How many sentences does the author write in this section?
- Is the passage written in first or third person?
Correct answer: Why did the author choose this specific technique, and what effect does it have on the reader?
Effective craft analysis always asks both 'what technique' and 'why/what effect'—identifying the device is only the first step.
Question 6: An author of an informational text uses subheadings, bullet points, and bold text. What is the craft purpose of these structural choices?
- To organize information clearly and guide the reader's attention to key ideas (Correct answer)
- To make the text longer and appear more professional
- To replace the need for transitions between paragraphs
- To indicate which sections were written by different authors
Correct answer: To organize information clearly and guide the reader's attention to key ideas
Text features like subheadings and bold text are deliberate structural choices that aid comprehension and highlight essential information.
TDA Author's Craft and Style 2
What is the purpose of using repetition as a stylistic device in an argumentative or literary text?