Rhetoric Midterm

Question 1

Aposiopesis

Answer 1

breaking off a statement midway in order to create a rhetorical effect.

Question 2

Epanalepsis

Answer 2

The use of the same word or phrase at the beginning and end of a sentence. X_____X

Question 3

Irony

Answer 3

a statement whose hidden meaning is different from its surface meaning; a conclusion opposite from expectation

Question 4

Antithesis

Answer 4

contrasting ideas expressed in parallel form.

Question 5

Epizeuxis

Answer 5

The consecutive repetition of a word, often in a pattern of three. X, X, X_______

Question 6

Epistrophe

Answer 6

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the end. ________X _________X

Question 7

Anadiplosis

Answer 7

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the end of one phrase or clause and the beginning of the next. ______X, X________

Question 8

Simile

Answer 8

compares two different things that resemble each other in at least one way. A simile comparing a noun to a noun uses “like”; a simile comparing a verb or phrase to a verb or phrase uses “as.”

Question 9

Understatement

Answer 9

the deliberate expression of an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis (with a touch of humor) or for politeness.

Question 10

Climax

Answer 10

a list that increases by degrees in importance, weight, or magnitude.

Question 11

Hyperbole

Answer 11

deliberate exaggeration of conditions for emphasis or effect; a potential option for an attention-getter at the beginning of an essay or speech.

Question 12

Synecdoche

Answer 12

a form of metonymy in which a part acts as a substitute for a whole. (“All hands on deck.”)

Question 13

Parallelism

Answer 13

the repetition of grammatical structures.

Question 14

Anthimeria

Answer 14

using one part of speech as another (i.e. using a noun as a verb)

Question 15

Anaphora

Answer 15

repetition of a word, phrase, or clause at the beginning. X_____ X______

Question 16

Syllepsis

Answer 16

word (most often one is literal; the other, figurative)

Question 17

Metanoia

Answer 17

the act of correcting one’s self to create a rhetorical effect.

Question 18

Procatalepsis

Answer 18

anticipates an objection that might be raised by an audience and responds to it.

Question 19

Praeteritio

Answer 19

calling attention to a point by seeming to dismiss or ignore it

Question 20

Hypophora

Answer 20

asks one or more questions and then proceeds to answer those questions; typically the question is asked at the beginning of the paragraph and then answered throughout the rest of it.

Question 21

Ellipsis

Answer 21

the omission of a word easily supplied (from the Greek “to leave out” or “to fall short”)

Question 22

Personification

Answer 22

metaphorically represents an animal or inanimate object as having human attributes—attributes of form, character, feelings, behavior, etc. Ideas can also be personified.

Question 23

Asyndeton

Answer 23

the strategy of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses in a list in order to create a spontaneous or unpremeditated tone.

Question 24

Polysyndeton

Answer 24

the use of conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause for the purpose of sounding deliberate or heavily labored; structurally the opposite of asyndeton.

Question 25

Tricolon

Answer 25

a sentence with three clearly defined parts of equal length

Question 26

Apostrophe

Answer 26

rhetorical direct address to a person or personified thing

Question 27

Metonymy

Answer 27

a type of metaphor that uses something closely associated with (but not part of) a subject in order to represent that subject. (“The pen is mightier than the sword.”)

Question 28

Metabasis

Answer 28

a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow; a transitional summary that links sections of writing together.

Question 29

Allusion

Answer 29

a short, informal reference to something the reader will presumably recognize: a historical or fictional character, event, place; a religious or mythological story, or a literary work.

Question 30

Erotema

Answer 30

A rhetorical question: a question that does not call for an answer and actually makes a statement

Question 31

Metaphor

Answer 31

compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other, asserting that one thing is the other thing

Question 32

Anastrophe

Answer 32

when words appear in unexpected order.

Question 33

Chiasmus

Answer 33

an inversion of grammatical structure, idea, or sound