Unit 6

Question 1

is speech or writing that expresses a position on an issue or problem and supports it with reasons and evidence. An argument often takes into account other points of view, anticipating and answering objections that opponents of the position might raise.

Answer 1

Argument

Question 2

is the writer’s position on an issue or problem. Although an argument focuses on supporting one claim, a writer may make more than one claim in a work.

Answer 2

Claim

Question 3

is any material that serves to prove a claim. In an argument, support typically consists of reasons and evidence. In persuasive texts and speeches, however, support may include appeals to the needs and values of the audience.

Answer 3

Support

Question 4

is an argument made to oppose another argument. A good argument anticipates opposing viewpoints and provides counterarguments to refute (disprove) or answer them.

Answer 4

Counter argument, Counter Claim, rebuttal, concession

Question 5

is an inclination toward a particular judgment on a topic or issue. A writer often reveals a strongly positive
or strongly negative opinion by presenting only one way of looking at an issue or by heavily weighting the evidence. Words with intensely positive or negative connotations are often a signal of a writer’s bias.

Answer 5

Bias

Question 6

are those that do not require a reply. Writers use them to suggest that their arguments make the answer obvious or self-evident.

Answer 6

Rhetorical question

Question 7

are techniques writers use to enhance their arguments and communicate more effectively. Rhetorical devices include analogy, parallelism, rhetorical questions, and repetition.

Answer 7

Rhetorical Devices

Question 8

is a technique in which a sound, word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. Repetition often helps to reinforce meaning and create an appealing rhythm. The term includes specific devices associated with both prose and poetry, such as alliteration and parallelism.

Answer 8

Repetition

Question 9

is the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance.
Ex. Go back to Mississippi. Go back to Alabama. Go back to South Carolina. Go back to Georgia. Go back to Louisiana. Go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities. . . .
—Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream”

Answer 9

Parallelism

Question 10

is a point-by-point comparison between two things that are alike in some respect. Often, writers use analogies in nonfiction to explain unfamiliar subjects or ideas in terms of familiar ones.

Answer 10

Analogy