Rhetorical strategies

Question 1

absolute

Answer 1

a word free from limitations or qualifications (best, all, unique,perfect)

Question 2

adage

Answer 2

a familiar proverb or wise saying; an aphorism

Question 3

ad hominem

Answer 3

an argument attacking a person’s character rather than his/her position

Question 4

aphorism

Answer 4

a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance; an adage

Question 5

apostrophe

Answer 5

a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent or imaginary person, or an abstract idea as a person

Question 6

balanced sentence

Answer 6

a sentence in which words, phrases or clauses are set off against each other to emphasize a contrast

Question 7

bathos

Answer 7

insincere of overly sentimental writing/speech, intended to evoke pity

Question 8

colloquialism

Answer 8

informal words or expressions not usually acceptable in writing or standard speech

Question 9

complex sentence

Answer 9

a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause

Question 10

compound sentence

Answer 10

a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined by one or more conjunctions

Question 11

conceit

Answer 11

a fanciful, particularly clever extended metaphor

Question 12

cumulative sentence

Answer 12

a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases

Question 13

didactic

Answer 13

having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing

Question 14

elegy/elegaic

Answer 14

a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme

Question 15

ellipsis

Answer 15

the omission of a word or phrase which is grammatically necessary but can be deduced from the context.

Question 16

epigram

Answer 16

a brief, pithy and often paradoxical saying

Question 17

epigraph

Answer 17

a saying or statement on the title page or chapter heading or section of a work

Question 18

epitaph

Answer 18

an inscription on a tombstone or burial place

Question 19

epithet

Answer 19

a term used to point out a characteristic of a person/character. Can also be offensive or abusive

Question 20

euphemism

Answer 20

an indirect, less offensive way of saying something considered unpleasant

Question 21

expletive

Answer 21

a profanity; an interjection to lend emphasis

Question 22

homily

Answer 22

a sermon or moralistic lecture

Question 23

idiom

Answer 23

an expression in a language that cannot be understood denotatively; a regional speech or dialect

Question 24

invective

Answer 24

an intensely vehement, highly emotional, usually profane and abusive verbal attack

Question 25

jargon

Answer 25

the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession

Question 26

juxtaposition

Answer 26

placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast

Question 27

limerick

Answer 27

light or non serious poetry/verse of five lines

Question 28

litotes

Answer 28

a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite

Question 29

malapropism

Answer 29

the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar

Question 30

maxim

Answer 30

a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism

Question 31

metonomy

Answer 31

substituting the name of one object for another closely associated with it.

Question 32

nonsequitur

Answer 32

lit. “does not follow,” i.e. an inference that does not logically follow from the premise

Question 33

parable

Answer 33

a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

Question 34

paradox

Answer 34

an apparently contradictory statement that is nonetheless true

Question 35

pedantic

Answer 35

characterized by an excessive and annoying display of learning or scholarship

Question 36

personification

Answer 36

endowing nonhuman objects or creatures with human characteristics

Question 37

philippic

Answer 37

a strong verbal denunciation; a tirade

Question 38

satire

Answer 38

the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions

Question 39

simple sentence

Answer 39

a sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause

Question 40

syllogism

Answer 40

a three part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise and two minor premises