Answers and Review for Multiple Choice Practice on Rhetoric  

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⛔STOP!⛔ Before you look at the answers make sure you gave this practice quiz a try so you can assess your understanding of the concepts covered. Click here for the practice questions: AP English Language Rhetoric Multiple Choice Questions.

Facts about the test: The AP English Language exam has 45 multiple choice questions and you will be given 1 hour to complete the section. That means it should take you around 20 minutes to complete 15 questions. 

*The following questions were not written by CollegeBoard and although they cover information outlined in the AP English Language Course and Exam Description the formatting on the exam may be different.

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1. Which of the following is the best definition for rhetoric?

A. the relationship between the speaker and the audience of a text

B. persuasive techniques used for personal gain

C. political term for techniques to get your way

D. observing and using effective means of persuasion

Answer: According to Oxford Dictionary, rhetoric is "the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques".

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2. Which of the following is not a rhetorical mode?

A. comparison and contrast

B. definition

C. faulty reasoning

D. classification

Answer: There are 8 widely accepted modes of development: narration, description, exemplification, illustration, classification, process analysis, definition, cause and effect, and problem and solution.

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3.  Rhetorical devices are the stylistic features present in a given text that help to communicate the message and achieve the purpose.

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

Answer: True - Rhetorical devices are the things, read nouns, that happen in a text to help the speaker/writer convey the message. This might include diction, syntax, figurative language, or other elements.

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4. Rhetorical devices work together to create the rhetorical ____________ present in a text.

A. strategies

B. devices

C. meaning

D. opportunities

Answer: Rhetorical strategies are the actions, or verbs, a speaker/writer makes in the chunks of a given text. These strategies are created by a variety of devices that work together to create a specific effect.

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5. To help achieve the desired effect, the writer/speaker should consider the meaning and purpose of the message and align the content with the appropriate strategy for development.

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

Answer: True - Each mode of development (sometimes called method or strategy of development) serves a specific purpose and should be used in that manner. Stronger arguments combine multiple methods of development.

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6. Part of rhetorical foundations include successful application or analysis of ________.

A. narrative prose

B. argumentative structures

C. direct address

D. comprehensive tools

Answer: Since everything's an argument, the foundation of rhetoric must include the basics of argument -- claims and evidence.

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7. What is a rhetorical analysis?

A. a close reading of a text looking at how it works to achieve a specific message and purpose

B. drawing conclusions after putting together ideas from a variety of resources

C. addressing questions proposed by an audience

D. building an argument by breaking down the claims and evidence of an existing text

Answer: In short, rhetorical analysis is the analysis, or close reading, of a given text looking at the intended meaning and the method by which that purpose is achieved.

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8. Which of the following is the best description of exigence?

A. the speaker's bias toward an argument

B. consideration of the audience's needs in building the line of reasoning

C. the catalyst for the occasion that drives the creation of the text

D. analysis of the rhetorical situation before considering an issue

Answer: According to David Jolliffe, former Chief Reader of AP Language, “Exigence is a concept from rhetorical theory that focuses on the speaker or writer’s apparent motivation for speaking or writing.

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9. Which of the following are the rhetorical appeals created through the use of effective communication?

A. argument, narration, informative

B. character, emotion, and reason

C. subject, message, and speaker

D. counterargument, concession, and refutation

Answer: The primary rhetorical appeals are ethos (credibility/character), logos (reason/logic), and pathos (emotion).

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10. What are the components of the rhetorical situation?

A. Context and Topic/Tone (Message)

B. Purpose and Exigence

C. Audience and Speaker

D. All of the above

Answer: The rhetorical ASPECTS are outlined in AP Lang Reading 1A: Audience, Speaker, Purpose, Exigence, Context, Topic/Tone (Message).

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11. The purpose of rhetoric is to resolve conflicts without confrontation, to persuade readers or listeners to support their position or to move others to take action.

A. TRUE

B. FALSE

Answer: True - Though rhetoric tends to have a negative connotation, the original purpose of rhetoric is to resolve conflicts without confrontation, to persuade readers or listeners to support their position, or move others to take action.

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12. The Canons of Rhetoric are also called the...

A. elements that inform the structure of the message

B. overlapping divisions of the rhetorical process

C. the devices and strategies most common in colloquial discussion

D. the presentation of the text itself

Answer: The Canons of Rhetoric are defined by Cicero and the unknown author of "Rhetorica ad Herennium" as “five overlapping divisions of the rhetorical process”

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13. The Canons of Rhetoric include Style, Invention, and which of the following?

A. Subject, Message, and Speaker

B. Rhetorical Appeals, Devices, and Strategies

C. Reasoning, Credibility, and Emotion

D. Arrangement, Memory, and Delivery

Answer: Cicero and the unknown author of "Rhetorica ad Herennium" defined the canons as “five overlapping divisions of the rhetorical process” that include style, invention, arrangement, memory, and delivery.

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14. In analyzing the rhetorical context associated with a situation, the speaker or reader should consider _________.

A. Social context

B. Cultural context

C. Historical context

D. All of the above

Answer: The context of a rhetorical situation involves the elements in the history, social behaviors, and cultural representation at the time of the text's creation.

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15. A speaker's purpose involves which two parts?

A. manipulation and a call to action

B. reason for the message and the desired audience movement

C. the message and the exigence

D. the speaker and the persona

Answer: A speaker's purpose may start at the base level of persuasion, inform, and entertain, but it expands to the goal the speaker wants to achieve and the desired audience movement resulting from receiving the message.