Text Persuasive Techniques

Question 1

Alliteration - Repetition of a sound, particularly at the beginning of words;often used in headlines

Answer 1

• Captures attention
• Adds emphasis to the writer’s points
• Draws attention to key words

Question 2

Analogy: compares one thing or situation with another

Answer 2

• Explains a complex point in more familiar terms
• Makes the contention look simple and obvious

Question 3

Anecdote: a brief personal account or story

Answer 3

• Often entertaining or humorous
• personal angle engages the reader
• as ‘true’ stories, they carry weight with readers

Question 4

Appeal to a sense of justice: speaks to people’s belief that everyone deserves fair treatment.

Answer 4

• positions the reader to agree that punishment should fit the crime
• arouses anger at a perceived injustice

Question 5

Appeal to being modern and up-to-date: based on people’s desire to be progressive and part is the ‘one crowd’

Answer 5

• suggest that the new is always better than the old
• appeals to the desire to be thought of as ‘ahead of the pack’

Question 6

Appeal to family values: based on the belief that traditional family arrangements are the best foundation for individuals and society

Answer 6

• leads the refer to view traditional families as the most desirable arrangement
• positions the reader to feel that other arrangements threaten the ‘moral fabric’ of society

Question 7

Appeal to group loyalty: uses the desire of people to belong to a group in order to persuade them to agree with a viewpoint or take action

Answer 7

• can play on peoples guilt, sense of obligation, fear and sentimentality
• convinces people that the interests of the group require their support
• can also appeal to the belief the ‘little people’ can make a difference

Question 8

Appeal to hip pocket nerve: relates to people’s concern about the financial well-being

Answer 8

• provokes sting emotions such as outrage at being taken advantage of
• positions readers to fall indignant about those who want to raise prices and suspicious of their true motives

Question 9

Appeal to patriotism: draws on national pride and people loyalty to their country

Answer 9

• positions reader to feel that it would be disloyal to their country to disagree with the writer
• arouses strong emotions of pride and loyalty; in this example it appeals to our alleged positive attitude to immigrants as well as egalitarianism
• can sometimes be used to arouse anger, guilt and fear

Question 10

Appeal to self-interest: suggests the one’s own interests should be placed abouve others

Answer 10

• often divides people into ‘them’ and ‘us’
• suggests that the interests of others are in competition with and threaten the readers

Question 11

Appeal to tradition and custom: places a high value on the past and one’s heritage; suggests that abandoning tradition is damaging to society.

Answer 11

• encourages the reader to resist change and to feel that links with the past should be retained
• sometimes romanticises the past and rejects the modern ways of doing things

Question 12

attack: used to denigrate an opponent and, by implication, their point of view

Answer 12

• draws attention away from reasoned argument
• positions the reader to agree that if an individual is flawed, their message must be too

Question 13

cliche: a familiar but overused expression that carries a range of associations

Answer 13

• conveys meaning in an economical way
• can help the reader feel more comfortable with an idea

Question 14

connotation: association or implied meaning of a word

Answer 14

• arouses feelings and attitudes that position the reader to like/dislike, accept/reject a group, an idea or viewpoint
• the word ‘sheep’ has connotations of low intelligence and inability to think independently
• cumulative impact is one of contempt for such unbelievable behaviour

Question 15

emotive language:
deliberately strong words used to provoke emotion in the reader

Answer 15

• positions the reader to react emotionally, rather than rationally
• leads the reader to share the writer’s feelings on the subject

Question 16

evidence: facts, intormation or expert opinions; often from an authoritative source; may be used selectively

Answer 16

• gives the writer’s argument more credibility as it is apparently objective and/or supported by experts
• note that the context of this extract implies that smoking marijuana has increased as smoking cigarettes has decreased

Question 17

generalisation: the idea that if something is true of some people, it is true for all members of the group to which they belong

Answer 17

• appeals to commonly held prejudices and attitudes
• positions the reader to judge others according to stereotypes

Question 18

inclusive language:
involves the reader directly in the issue by using such words as ‘we’ or ‘us’

Answer 18

• makes the reader feel included and that their view counts
• encourages the reader to agree, since this view is apparently shared by the group as a whole

Question 19

metaphors and similes: comparisons that describe one thing in terms of another

Answer 19

• capitalises on associations with a vivid image
• evokes emotion in the reader that matches the emotion of the writer

Question 20

overstatement, exaggeration and hyperbole: using dramatic, forceful
language to exaggerate the real situation

Answer 20

• arouses emotion in the reader
• can be humorous
• worst case scenario plays on the readers.

Question 21

pun: a play on a word or phrase that gives it multiple meanings

Answer 21

• often humorous - as in the play on ‘a load of bull’
• gains the reader’s attention and emphasises the writer’s point

Question 22

Reason and logic: involves a clearly stated main contention and an argument that is supported by evidence or deduction; that is by drawing a conclusion from something generally known or assumed to be true

Answer 22

• gives the writer’s viewpoint credibility for being apparently objective
• can consider opposing viewpoints and argue logically against them

Question 23

Repetition: repeating words, phrases or ideas for emphasis

Answer 23

• emphasises the writer’s viewpoint and captures attention
• in this example, it increases admiration for the young man
• makes the point more memorably

Question 24

rhetorical question: a question that requires no answer, as it is a yes/no answer, usually because the answer is implied

Answer 24

• positions the reader to agree by assuming their answer will be the same as the writer’s
• engages the reader by addressing them directly

Question 25

Assonance