|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
PHI332 : The Class : Argument ID : Rhetorical Questions
When you are looking at a paragraph of text, trying to find the argument, you can usually ignore commands, exclamations, and questions: just focus on the declarative statements (for these grammatical forms, see 2.1).
There is one important exception to this rule: rhetorical questions. Rhetorical questions do not ask for information (for example, "what time is it?" "where are you going?") or indicate the issue to be raised in an essay, as you might find in an introductory remark (for example, "Can a feminist be pro-life?" "Is cloning humans improper?"). Instead, they expect a definite answer from the reader.
Rhetorical questions almost always belong in your diagram. They almost always are part of the author's argument, and almost always are premises, not conclusions. But before you put them into your diagram, you have to rewrite them as declarative statements. Do this by stating the answer they expect from the reader.
By the way, you should avoid rhetorical questions in your own writing. It's
poor style.
To complete this topic successfully, do as many of the following exercises as you find necessary to acquire the relevant skill. You have acquired the relevant skill when your answers to exercises are reliably either the same as the given answers or are alternative answers you can explain and defend:
ASSIGNMENT
1: Exercise2.11.1
ASSIGNMENT
2: Exercise2.11.2
ASSIGNMENT
3: Exercise2.11.3
Go on to Topic
12: Topic Sentence Conclusions
or
Go back to Argument
ID
E-mail George Rudebusch at George.Rudebusch@nau.edu
or call (520) 523-7091
 |
|
Copyright © 2001 Northern
Arizona University
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |