Starter quiz
- Which of the following is an example of a persuasive speech topic?
- The history of video games
- The benefits of recycling ✓
- How to bake a cake
- Different types of clouds
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- What device is being used in this sentence: "more than 300 million [people] do not have access to the internet"?
- 'statistic' ✓
- Which rhetorical device involves using a question to make a point, rather than to elicit an answer?
- call to action
- rhetorical question ✓
- direct address
- anaphora
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- Match the sentence type to the example.
- declarative⇔It will end in our life time. ✓
- interrogative⇔What have any of them done to deserve this? ✓
- imperative⇔We have to find it, stop it, and end it. ✓
- How does the use of personal anecdote contribute to persuasive writing?
- It distracts the audience from the main argument.
- It undermines the credibility of the author.
- It adds a personal touch and creates a connection with the audience. ✓
- It confuses the audience with irrelevant details.
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- When writers use personal anecdotes it can create a ______ with the audience. What word beginning with 'r' could complete this sentence?
- 'rapport' ✓
Exit quiz
- Which of the following best describes the impact of using facts and statistics in a speech?
- They can make the speech more entertaining.
- They can make the speech sound more authoritative and credible. ✓
- They can make the speech longer and more tedious.
- They can make the speech less believable and persuasive.
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- When using statistics, they should be realistic and ______. Which word beginning with 'p' could complete this sentence?
- 'plausible' ✓
- Which of these is the most realistic and credible use of statistics?
- 250% of social media users agree.
- The continued development of green spaces has increased by 10,000%.
- Over one billion young people agree that something needs to be done.
- 29% of young people do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day. ✓
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- Which one of these answers does not contribute to an effective use of rhetorical questions?
- They should use direct address.
- They should not over use the personal pronoun "you".
- They should be used more than once, in quick succession. ✓
- They should be relevant to the argument.
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- Which one of these rhetorical questions uses a subordinate clause to address the audience?
- Don't you agree?
- As leaders, shouldn't you be creating better policies? ✓
- Have you considered what happens next?
- Why would we continue to develop a better plan?
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- What makes this rhetorical question less effective: "58% of teens have experienced cyberbullying. Can you believe it? Don’t you want to act."?
- too general ✓
- unrealistic use of statistics
- questions used in quick succession ✓
- over use of personal pronoun "you" ✓
- incorrect punctuation
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Rhetorical questions and statistics are the most used persuasive devices, they need to be crafted carefully.
- Statistics and facts need to be realistic and probable in order to add credibility to your writing.
- Rhetorical questions should be used sparingly and not in succession.
- Rhetorical questions should avoid overusing the pronoun “you”.
- A realistic fact or statistic can be combined with a rhetorical question to make it even more impactful.
Common misconception
Placing ambiguous, short questions with direct address at the end of sentences is an effective rhetorical question. For example: Do you?/Don't you agree?
Think about the purpose of a rhetorical question and why we use them. Is this the best way to challenge and provoke thought or get a reaction from your audience?
Keywords
Realistic - accurate and truthful
Authoritative - having reliable knowledge or expertise which makes you appear trustworthy and believable
Probable - something that is likely or true, based on available evidence
Plausible - something that seems reasonable or believable
Credibility - to be believable, trustworthy and reliable
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