Rhetorical Devices

Question 0

argument from outrage

Answer 0

arguments are reduced to shouting matches where opponents compete for the loudest volume and sharpest insults

Question 1

ad hominem

Answer 1

disputing a position or argument by criticizing it’s source

Question 2

bandwagon

Answer 2

The idea that everyone is doing this, or everyone supports this person/cause so you should too

Question 3

begging the question

Answer 3

argument in which the conclusion merrily restate a point made in the premises

Question 4

card stacking

Answer 4

to tell half the story or only use facts that support a position; use faulty logic

Question 5

ethos

Answer 5

type of rhetorical appeal that refers to the trustworthiness or credibility of the writer or speaker

Question 6

euphemism

Answer 6

A neutral or positive expression instead of one that carries a negative association

Question 7

false dilemma

Answer 7

A writer/speaker limits considerations to only two alternatives, even though other alternatives may be available

Question 8

glittering generalities

Answer 8

The use of “loaded words” that carry extreme positive or negative connotations

Question 9

Group think

Answer 9

allowing the loyalty to one’s group to cloud one’s judgment

Question 10

hasty generalization

Answer 10

having more confidence in a conclusion then you should, based on a small sample

Question 11

loaded question

Answer 11

A question that rests on one or more unwarranted or unjustified assumptions

Question 12

logos

Answer 12

type of rhetorical appeal that refers to persuading by the use of reasoning

Question 13

pathos

Answer 13

type of rhetorical appeal that refers to persuading by appealing to the readers emotions

Question 14

plain folks

Answer 14

The candidate or cause is identified with the common people from every day walks of life

Question 15

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

Answer 15

faulty cause and effect-just because two things happened around the same time doesn’t mean that one cause the other

Question 16

Red Herring

Answer 16

your relevant topic or consideration introduced into a discussion to Dibert attention away from the original issue

Question 17

Rhetorical definition

Answer 17

use of emotively charged language to explain or to define something

Question 18

scare tactic/fear

Answer 18

try to prove a point by scaring the reader or listener

Question 19

slippery slope

Answer 19

reasoning in which it is assumed that some event must inevitably follow from some other but in which no argument is made for the inevitability (exaggerating the possible future consequence of an action)

Question 20

stereotype

Answer 20

a thought or image about a group of people based on little or no evidence

Question 21

Strawman

Answer 21

writer/speaker distorts, exaggerates, or misrepresent an opponent’s position in order to more easily attack it

Question 22

testimonial

Answer 22

celebrity endorsement of a philosophy, movement, or candidate

Question 23

transfer

Answer 23

attempt to persuade through the indirect use of something we respect, such as a patriotic or religious image

Question 24

wishful thinking

Answer 24

A refusal to acknowledge the truth, also called ostrich fallacy