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Flashcards · AP® English Language and Composition · Unit 1

Unit 1: Claims, Evidence and the Rhetorical Situation flashcards

25 cards on topics 1.1 to 1.6. Pick a topic or study the whole unit.

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1.1 The rhetorical situation

What are the six parts of a rhetorical situation?
Exigence, writer, audience, purpose, context and message. Together they explain why a text exists and why its choices suit this moment. Describe each one with details from the text, not just labels.
Why does the rhetorical situation matter more than the topic?
The same topic can be handled in very different ways for different readers and occasions. Choices are judged by how well they fit the situation, so a good analysis keeps returning to who is speaking, to whom, when and why.
What is the difference between context and exigence?
Context is the general setting of time, place and occasion. Exigence is the specific trigger that makes the writer speak now. A war is context; a ceremony held because of the war is the exigence.
How do you describe the writer as part of the situation?
Give the writer's role, experience and relationship to the audience, not just a name. A councillor writing as an official and as a flood victim speaks from different positions and earns different credibility.
What is the message of a text, and how does it differ from purpose?
The message is the main idea the text conveys. Purpose is what the writer wants the text to do to the audience, such as persuade, warn or reassure. Message is what is said; purpose is what it is for.

1.2 Exigence and purpose

What is exigence?
The event, problem or occasion that prompts a writer to write. It answers "why now?" and is usually specific: a vote, an announcement, a crisis, a ceremony. It exists before the text does.
What is the writer's purpose?
What the writer wants the text to accomplish with the audience, for example to convince them to act, to calm them or to change how they see an issue. State it with a precise verb, not just "to inform".
Why must exigence and purpose not be confused?
Exigence is the cause behind the text and points backwards; purpose is the effect the writer wants and points forwards. A flood is the exigence; persuading the council to fund a wall is the purpose.
How do you move from exigence to purpose in an analysis?
Name what happened, say what the writer wants to change because of it, then explain how the writer's choices of evidence, tone and structure aim to bring that change about.

1.3 Audience and context

What is the difference between audience and context?
The audience is the people the text addresses or reaches; context is the time, place and circumstances in which it is written and read. Both shape what the writer assumes and how the writer appeals.
What are primary and secondary audiences?
The primary audience is who the writer directly addresses. A secondary audience is others who may read or overhear. A speech to a council may also be aimed at the newspaper readers who will see it reported.
How do you describe an audience precisely?
Name their role, what they already believe or know, and what they need or fear. "The town's parents, who worry about safety and cost" is more useful than "the public".
How does a writer's awareness of context shape a text?
The writer chooses what to explain, what to assume and what to avoid based on when and where the text will be read. A reference that works for one decade or place may confuse or offend another.

1.4 Claims that need a defence

What is a claim?
A statement the writer asks the audience to accept, which needs support. A fact everyone accepts is not a claim; a judgement, a prediction or a recommendation is.
What are claims of fact, value and policy?
Fact: something is or was true. Value: something is good, bad, fair or unjust. Policy: something should be done. Each kind needs different support, such as data, shared values or a plan with results.
How do you tell a claim from evidence?
A claim is the point being argued; evidence is what supports it. If a statement still needs defending, it is a claim. If it is offered to defend a claim, it is evidence.
Why does a claim that is easy to defend not make a strong argument?
If nobody could disagree, the writer has no work to do. A worthwhile claim is arguable and needs reasons and evidence for a reader who might doubt it.

1.5 Evidence and its types

What are common types of evidence in an argument?
Facts and statistics, examples, anecdotes, expert testimony, historical events and analogies. Each has strengths and limits, so a good argument often combines more than one kind.
What is anecdotal evidence and what is its limit?
A short personal story used as support. It makes an issue vivid and human, but one case may not be typical, so it rarely proves a general claim on its own.
Why can a list of specific examples work as evidence?
Many concrete, checkable examples build force through accumulation and suggest a pattern, not an accident. The weight comes from the quantity and the repeated form.
How does evidence differ from commentary?
Evidence is the fact, quotation or example. Commentary is the writer's explanation of how it supports the claim. A paragraph with evidence and no commentary leaves the reader to guess the point.

1.6 Writing a paragraph with a claim and evidence

What are the three parts of a claim-evidence paragraph?
A claim that states the point, embedded evidence that supports it, and commentary that explains how the evidence supports the claim. The paragraph should return to the claim in its last sentence or two.
How do you embed a quotation smoothly?
Use a signal phrase and a comma or colon, or make the quotation the object of your own verb. Keep it short and put your own words around it, so it serves your sentence and does not stand alone.
What is a dropped quotation and how do you fix it?
A quotation placed in a paragraph with no lead-in and no explanation. Fix it by introducing who says it and when, trimming it to the useful words, and following it with commentary.
What makes commentary weak?
It repeats the evidence ("This shows that he wants peace") or says only that something is "effective". Strong commentary names a specific choice and explains what it does for this audience and purpose.

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