Create an skeleton that requires minimum effort to fill in that meets the requirements below. Find a way to get the sophistication that is the easiest.
FREE-RESPONSE QUESTION 2: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
Free-response question 2 presents students with a passage of nonfiction prose of
approximately 600 to 800 words. Students are asked to write an essay that analyzes
the writer’s rhetorical choices. This question assesses students’ ability to do
the following:
§ Respond to the prompt with a thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices.
§ Select and use evidence to develop and support the line of reasoning.
§ Explain the relationship between the evidence and the thesis.
§ Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.
§ Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating the argument.
All Rhetorical Analysis essay questions will be worded in a similar way. A sample
question and the stable prompt wording are provided below.
Sample Question
In 1997, then United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the
commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a women’s
college in Massachusetts.
Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Albright
makes to convey her message that perseverance can make a difference.
Stable Prompt wording
The text in italics will vary by question, while the remainder of the prompt will be
consistently used in all Rhetorical Analysis essay questions.
[Background on the rhetorical situation]. Read the passage carefully. Write an essay
that analyzes the rhetorical choices [the writer] makes to [develop/achieve/convey]
[his/her] [argument . . . /purpose . . . /message . . .].
Rubric:
Responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis that analyzes the writer’s
rhetorical choices.
Responds to the prompt rather than restate or rephrase the prompt, and
the thesis clearly takes a position rather than just stating that there are
pros/cons.
Additional Notes:
• The thesis may be more than one sentence, provided the sentences are in close proximity.
• The thesis may be anywhere within the response.
• For a thesis to be defensible, the passage must include at least minimal evidence that could be used to support that thesis; however, the student need
not cite that evidence to earn the thesis point.
• The thesis may establish a line of reasoning that structures the essay, but it needn’t do so to earn the thesis point.
• A thesis that meets the criteria can be awarded the point whether or not the rest of the response successfully supports that line of reasoning.
EVIDENCE:
Provides specific evidence to
support all claims in a line of
reasoning.
AND
COMMENTARY:
Consistently explains how the
evidence supports a line of
reasoning.
AND
Explains how multiple rhetorical
choices in the passage
contribute to the writer’s
argument, purpose, or message.
• Uniformly offer evidence to
support claims.
• Focus on the importance of
specific words and details
from the passage to build an
argument.
• Organize and support
an argument as a line of
reasoning composed of
multiple supporting claims,
each with adequate evidence
that is clearly explained.
• Explain how the writer’s
use of rhetorical choices
contributes to the student’s
interpretation of the passage.
Additional Notes:
• Writing that suffers from grammatical and/or mechanical errors that interfere with communication cannot earn the fourth point in this row.
• To earn the fourth point in this row, the response may observe multiple instances of the same rhetorical choice if each instance further contributes to the
argument, purpose, or message of the passage.
Response demonstrates sophistication of thought and/or a complex understanding
of the rhetorical situation.
1. Explaining the significance or relevance of the writer’s rhetorical choices
(given the rhetorical situation).
2. Explaining a purpose or function of the passage’s complexities or tensions.
3. Employing a style that is consistently vivid and persuasive.
This point should be awarded only if the sophistication of thought or complex understanding is part of the student’s argument, not merely a phrase
or reference.
Things you should not do:
Only restate the prompt.
• Fail to address the rhetorical choices the writer of the passage makes.
• Describe or repeat the passage rather than making a claim that
requires a defense.
• Attempt to contextualize the text, but such attempts consist
predominantly of sweeping generalizations.
• Only hint at or suggest other arguments.
• Examine individual rhetorical choices but do not examine the
relationships among different choices throughout the passage.
• Oversimplify complexities in the passage.
• Use complicated or complex sentences or language that is
ineffective because it does not enhance the analysis.