Week 3 Terms

Question 1

Claim

Answer 1

States the argument’s main idea or position. A claim differs from a topic or subject in that a claim has to be arguable (also called an assertion or proposition)

Question 2

Cause and effect

Answer 2

Seeks to explain the effects of a cause, the causes of an effect, or a causal chain in which A causes B, B causes C, C causes D, and so on

Question 3

Fact

Answer 3

Asserts that something is true or not true

Question 4

Policy

Answer 4

Proposes a change

Question 5

Value

Answer 5

Argues that something is good or bad, right or wrong

Question 6

Problem / solution

Answer 6

Identifies a problem and proposes a particular course of action

Question 7

Clause

Answer 7

Grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb

Question 8

Cliché

Answer 8

Trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase usually expressing a popular or common thought that has lost originality and impact by long overuse

Question 9

Colloquial/colloquialism

Answer 9

• Use of slang or informalities in speech or writing
• Not generally acceptable for formal writing; give a work a conversational, familiar tone
• Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects

Question 10

Comic relief

Answer 10

Use of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event

Question 11

Common ground

Answer 11

In rhetoric, a basis of mutual interest or agreement that is found or established in the course of an argument

Question 12

Comparison / contrast

Answer 12

Rhetorical strategy in which a writer examines similarities and/or differences between other people, places, ideas or objects

Question 13

Complex sentence

Answer 13

• Sentence that includes one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
• Ex: “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” – John F. Kennedy)

Question 14

Compound sentence

Answer 14

• Sentence that includes at least two independent clauses
• Ex: “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.” – John F. Kennedy)

Question 15

Conceit

Answer 15

Prolonged comparison of two unlikely things (usually in the form of an extended metaphor or an analogy)

Question 16

Concession / concede

Answer 16

Acknowledgment that an opposing argument may be true or reasonable (concession is usually accompanied by a refutation challenging the validity of the opposing argument in strong argument)

Question 17

Confirmation

Answer 17

In classical oration, this major part of an argument comes between the narration and refutation; it provides the development of proof through evidence that supports the claims made by the speaker

Question 18

Internal conflict

Answer 18

Struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character

Question 19

External conflict

Answer 19

Character struggles against an outside force, which may be another character, society as a whole or something in nature

Question 20

Independent (main) clause

Answer 20

• Expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence
• Ex: “Because I practiced, my AP scores were high.” In this sentence, the independent clause is “my AP scores were high”

Question 21

Dependent (subordinate) clause

Answer 21

• Cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by an independent clause
• Ex: “Because I practiced, my AP scores were high.” In this sentence, the dependent clause is “Because I practiced”