Unit 1: Rhetorical Situation
English Lang · Unit 1 · Paper 1

Rhetorical Situation unit test

A test on this unit alone, marked as a percentage and a letter grade — for the test your class is actually sitting, rather than for May. Answer everything, then submit once: seeing the answer to question 3 before attempting question 4 makes the final percentage meaningless.

Paper 1Paper 2Paper 3
Each paper is built from this unit’s 29 terms and is the same for everyone, so a teacher can assign “Unit 1, Paper 1” and every student sits the identical test. Multiple choice is marked objectively; the written sections you mark yourself against the model answer and rubric.
Suggested time 33 min 30 points0/17 attempted
1

Pathos beyond emotion words

2

Logos

3

Constraints

4

Logos and its visible forms

5

Analyzing a choice, not spotting a device

6

Context

7

Kairos in practice

8

Primary vs secondary audience

9

Rhetorical situation: what changes when it changes

10

Analyzing a visual text

11

Occasion

12

Establishing ethos without asserting it

Short answer 1. Define or explain: Genre as a rhetorical choice

3 pts

Short answer 2. Define or explain: Borrowed ethos

3 pts

Short answer 3. Define or explain: Hostile, neutral and friendly audiences

3 pts

Short answer 4. Define or explain: Purpose

3 pts

Free response

6 pts

Rhetorical Analysis: In a commencement address, an author argues that failure taught her more than success, urging graduates to embrace risk. The passage uses personal anecdote, an extended metaphor comparing failure to bedrock, a shift from self-deprecating humor to earnest exhortation, and direct address. Analyze the rhetorical choices the author makes to convey her message about the value of failure.