Rhetorical Analysis Terms

Term: Analysis. Definition: ________.

• looking closely at the small parts of a text to see how they work together.

• a brief summary of a text.

• an unrelated collection of ideas.

• a random guess about a text's meaning.

Term: Appeal. Definition: ________.

• a way to persuade the reader by showing them something they like.

• a method to confuse the reader with complex language.

• a strategy to bore the reader with unnecessary details.

• a technique to mislead the reader with false information.

Term: Argument. Definition: ________.

• the main point the author is trying to prove.

• a random statement with no basis.

• an unrelated topic.

• a minor detail in the text.

Term: Audience. Definition: ________.

• intended listener of an argument.

• a type of visual aid used in presentations.

• a method of organizing information.

• a style of writing used in academic papers.

Term: Author's purpose. Definition: ________.

• specific reason for the text; WHY they wrote it (to get a vote, to get a purchase, to change a behavior, etc.)

• the main character in a story

• the setting of the story

• the plot of the story

Term: Bias. Definition: ________.

• when writers hold an opinion or belief about the topic.

• when writers present all sides of an argument equally.

• when writers rely solely on factual information.

• when writers avoid taking a stance on the topic.

Term: Claim. Definition: ________.

• specific reason given by author to support the argument.

• a random thought with no basis.

• an unrelated fact or statement.

• a question posed by the author.

Term: Connotative meaning. Definition: ________.

• intended or understood meaning of a word or phrase.

• literal meaning of a word or phrase.

• dictionary definition of a word or phrase.

• grammatical structure of a sentence.

Term: Ethos. Definition: ________.

• appeal by use of authority or expertise.

• appeal to emotion.

• appeal to logic.

• appeal to tradition.

Term: Evaluate. Definition: ________.

• to determine the value of an argument along with its claims and evidence.

• to ignore the evidence and make a decision.

• to randomly choose an option without reasoning.

• to accept all arguments without question.