English C18/C19/C22/C24

What is a key point of President Obama's Second Inaugural Address?

America still has work to do to ensure equality for all.

What best describes a key point expressed in "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2?

In supporting slavery, America falsely represents itself as a nation that stands for freedom and equality.

Read this passage from "Let's Give Up on the Constitution." As the nation teeters at the edge of fiscal chaos, observers are reaching the conclusion that the American system of government is broken. But almost no one blames the culprit: our insistence on obedience to the Constitution, with all its archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions. What rhetorical device does the author use to convey to the audience why the American system of government is broken?

Irony

Read the sentence from President Obama's Second Inaugural Address. For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. What can the audience infer based on this sentence?

Obama intends to address the gap between the poor and the wealthy during his term as president.

Which answer best describes the rhetorical device parallel structure?

Repeating the same or similar grammatical structures in successive sentences, clauses, or phrases

What is anaphora?

The purposeful repetition of the same word or words in the same manner in successive sentences, clauses, or phrases

Which word is spelled correctly?

intolerable

What is the main purpose of a rhetorical appeal?

to target an audience's specific emotions, beliefs, and opinions

Read the passage from "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2. You have no right to enjoy a child's share in the labor of your fathers, unless your children are to be blest by your labors. You have no right to wear out and waste the hard-earned fame of your fathers to cover your indolence. ... It was fashionable, hundreds of years ago, for the children of Jacob to boast, we have "Abraham to our father," when they had long lost Abraham's faith and spirit. That people contented themselves under the shadow of Abraham's great name, while they repudiated the deeds which made his name great. Need I remind you that a similar thing is being done all over this country to-day? Why does Douglass use the rhetorical devices of allusion and alliteration in this passage? Select all that apply.

- He uses them to support his argument that, since the holiday is intended as an acknowledgment of national pride, it is ironic that members of the current generation feel that their apathy about working for equality is something to celebrate. - He uses them to support his argument that the audience is celebrating freedom and justice while remaining silent about the existence of slavery. This demonstrates they have abandoned the fight for equality that their forefathers worked so hard to obtain for them.

Read the passage from "Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence" by Jimmy Carter. But after listening to the American people, I have been reminded again that all the legislation in the world can't fix what's wrong with America. So, I want to speak to you first tonight about a subject even more serious than energy or inflation. I want to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy. How do the words President Carter uses in this passage contribute to the power of his speech? Select all that apply.

- President Carter appeals to his audience's emotions, and by doing so, he informs them he is there to listen and to lead them into a new age of democracy. - President Carter addresses his audience with a great sense of urgency, and by doing so, he commands and demands their attention.

Read the passage from "Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence" by Jimmy Carter. This a special night for me. Exactly three years ago, on July 15, 1976, I accepted the nomination of my party to run for President of the United States. I promised you a President who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams, and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you. Which two statements best describe the rhetorical appeals President Carter uses in this passage? Select all that apply.

- President Carter is appealing to his audience's sense of ethos by trying to convince them of his credibility and good character. - President Carter is appealing to his audience's sense of pathos by relating to them on an emotional level to invoke a sense of solidarity and brotherhood.

Which passages from "Declaration of Conscience" best support the author's claim that the nation is riddled with "fear and frustration"? Select all that apply.

- The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood nor should he be in danger of losing his reputation or livelihood merely because he happens to know someone who holds unpopular beliefs. Who of us doesn't? Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own. - The American people are sick and tired of being afraid to speak their minds lest they be politically smeared as "Communists" or "Fascists" by their opponents. Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.

What are the purposes of Margaret Chase Smith's speech "Declaration of Conscience"? Select all that apply.

- To declare that the American people need to renew their strength and belief in the nation - To call attention to the ineffective leadership policies of the US government and its branches

Read the passage. Mark's convertable had a nearly imperceptable dent in the back bumper after a fender-bender in the grocery-store parking lot. Though the damage was slight, Mark will have to pay his $500 deductible before insurance will pay any of the costs. He said the maliceous driver who hit his car was at fault. Which answers correct spelling errors in the passage? Select all that apply.

- convertible - malicious - imperceptible

Read the sentence. The company's decieptful advertising resulted in numereous lawsuits for fraud and misrepresentation. Which answers correct spelling errors in the sentence? Select all that apply.

- deceitful - numerous

Read the passage from "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2. I hear the doleful wail of fettered humanity, on the way to slave-markets where the victims are to be sold like horses, sheep, and swine knocked off to the highest bidder. What types of figurative language are used in this passage? Select all that apply.

- simile - personification

Which passage from "A Defense of the Constitution" uses analogy?

... if ever this maxim was fully demonstrated and exemplified among men, it was in the late American Revolution, where thirteen governments were taken down from the foundation, and new ones elected wholly by the people, as an architect would pull down an old building and erect a new one.

Read the passage from "Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence." It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America. What is a key point in this passage?

America is facing the most dangerous enemy—lack of confidence in its government and lack of unity of its people.

In "Declaration of Conscience," Margaret Chase Smith develops a claim that if the American nation is to prosper, serious changes need to be made to the policies and actions of the government. In which passages does Smith best develop this claim? Select all that apply.

- As an American, I don't want a Democratic Administration "whitewash" or "cover-up" any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt. - Freedom of speech is not what it used to be in America. It has been so abused by some that it is not exercised by others.

Read the passage from "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2. Fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am I called upon to speak here to-day? What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us? and am I, therefore, called upon to bring our humble offering to the national altar, and to confess the benefits and express devout gratitude for the blessings resulting from your independence to us? What is the effect of Douglass's use of rhetoric in this passage?

Because Douglass knows the audience cannot provide reasonable responses to his questions, he clarifies how illogical and hypocritical it is to ask a black man, to whom equal rights and freedom are not extended, to celebrate independence with them.

Read the following sentence from "A Defense of the Constitution," which contains the rhetorical device of parallel structure. ... they can never act, consult, or reason together, because they cannot march five hundred miles, nor spare the time, nor find a space to meet ... How does the author's use of the repetition of the word they and the never/nor construction affect the sentence's meaning?

By utilizing similar word patterns, Adams employs rhythm and balance to give clarity to his ideas and to concisely express them.

Read the passage from "We Shall Overcome" by Lyndon B. Johnson. I am grateful for this opportunity to come here tonight at the invitation of the leadership to reason with my friends, to give them my views, and to visit with my former colleagues. President Johnson likely mentions that he is speaking "at the invitation of the leadership" to use which rhetorical appeal?

ethos

Read the passage from "Declaration of Conscience." I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation. Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined. Which option best describes a theme in the passage?

NOT: The Constitution was written to distinguish the differences between criminal and character prosecution. Because anyone can invoke his or her constitutional rights, trial by accusation occurs often in the US courts.

Read the passage from "Declaration of Conscience." I think that it is high time for the United States Senate and its members to do some soul-searching—for us to weigh our consciences—on the manner in which we are performing our duty to the people of America—on the manner in which we are using or abusing our individual powers and privileges. Which option best states the main claim of the passage?

The US Senate is failing to properly fulfill its responsibilities to the American people.

Read this passage from "Let's Give Up on the Constitution." Imagine that after careful study a government official ... reaches a considered judgment that a particular course of action is best for the country. Suddenly, someone bursts into the room with new information: a group of white propertied men who have been dead for two centuries, knew nothing of our present situation, acted illegally under existing law and thought it was fine to own slaves might have disagreed with this course of action. How does this anecdote support the author's argument in the article?

The anecdote helps develop the author's point that we take no action on issues and argue instead about what our forefathers would have done.

Read this passage from "Let's Give Up on the Constitution." What has preserved our political stability is not a poetic piece of parchment, but entrenched institutions and habits of thought and, most important, the sense that we are one nation and must work out our differences. No one can predict in detail what our system of government would look like if we freed ourselves from the shackle of constitutional obligation, and I harbor no illusion that any of this would happen soon. How does the author use a metaphor for rhetorical effect in this passage?

The author uses metaphor to suggest that strict adherence to the Constitution has forced us to follow rules and laws that are outdated and have prevented us from interpreting laws as they apply in today's world.

Which passage from Part 1 of "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" uses personification?

The eye of the reformer is met with angry flashes, portending disastrous times; but his heart may well beat lighter at the thought that America is young, and that she is still in the impressible stage of her existence.

Read the passage from President Obama's Second Inaugural Address. Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers. Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play. Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune. What best describes the intended effect of this passage?

The repetition of the "Together, we..." statements makes the audience feel as if they have played a significant role in creating a great nation.

Read this passage from "Let's Give Up on the Constitution." Why should anyone care? Why should a lame-duck House, 27 members of which were defeated for re-election, have a stranglehold on our economy? Why does a grotesquely malapportioned Senate get to decide the nation's fate? What is the intended effect of these rhetorical questions on the audience?

To compel the audience to think about how unfair it is that a very small, underqualified group has the power to make national decisions

Read this question from "A Defense of the Constitution." Are there no robberies, burglaries, murders, adulteries, thefts, nor cheats? This is John Adams's response to the assertion that "the people never think of usurping over other men's rights." Why does Adams ask this rhetorical question?

To emphasize that humans have demonstrated they will violate the rights of others in many ways, so the principles of the Constitution are necessary to maintain order

President Obama uses assonance to emphasize his points in his Second Inaugural Address. Which passage from the speech uses assonance most effectively to emphasize the point that an enduring component of the American value system is equal opportunity?

We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.

Which passage from "Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence" by Jimmy Carter uses allusion to highlight the previous divisions in America?

We were sure that ours was a nation of the ballot, not the bullet, until the murders of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. We were taught that our armies were always invincible and our causes were always just, only to suffer the agony of Vietnam. We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate.

What evidence from President Obama's Second Inaugural Address most effectively supports the idea that Americans today have a responsibility to future generations?

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.

Read the sentence, which contains a misspelled word. If you want to earn a good grade in English composition, it is imperative to maintain coherancy in each paragraph. Which answer corrects the spelling error?

coherency

Read the passage from "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2. But I fancy I hear some one of my audience say, it is just in this circumstance that you and your brother abolitionists fail to make a favorable impression on the public mind. Would you argue more, and denounce less, would you persuade more, and rebuke less, your cause would be much more likely to succeed. Which type of rhetorical device does Douglass employ in this passage?

parallel structure

Read the passage from "Declaration of Conscience." Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of "know nothing, suspect everything" attitudes. What rhetorical feature is featured in this passage?

simile

What is the main purpose of "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2?

to persuade the Northern audience to insist on the abolition of slavery across the nation, not just to stop slavery from spreading

Read the passage from "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Part 2. For the present, it is enough to affirm the equal manhood of the Negro race. Is it not astonishing that, while we are ploughing, planting and reaping, using all kinds of mechanical tools, erecting houses, constructing bridges, building ships, working in metals of brass, iron, copper, silver and gold; that, while we are reading, writing and cyphering, acting as clerks, merchants and secretaries, having among us lawyers, doctors, ministers, poets, authors, editors, orators and teachers; that, while we are engaged in all manner of enterprises common to other men, digging gold in California, capturing the whale in the Pacific, feeding sheep and cattle on the hill-side, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in families as husbands, wives and children, and, above all, confessing and worshipping the Christian's God, and looking hopefully for life and immortality beyond the grave, we are called upon to prove that we are men! What does Douglass do in this passage to support his argument that blacks should not have to prove they are equal to whites in order to abolish slavery?

Douglass uses parallel structure in a single, lengthy sentence to clearly demonstrate that blacks and whites are equal in actions, in deeds, and in beliefs.