AP MC Terms

rhetorical situation

1. situation within which all written communication takes place that includes:

1. Exigence - the problem the essay or speech addresses; the impetus

2. Purpose - the goals the writer or speaker wants to achieve

3. Audience - receivers of the message who often have a variety of values and beliefs

4. Writer or speaker - a unique voice with values and beliefs

5. Context - the time, place, and occasion

6. Message - the substance of the writer’s or speaker’s main points

Claims

statements asserted to be true that are not obviously facts and therefore must be defended

Evidence

Information to prove an idea is valid

Reasoning

showing your audience how you think through your argument and how the evidence supports the claim

Style

the mic of word choice, syntax, and conventions writers use to express their message

Method of development

common approaches writers use to develop and organize the reasoning of their arguments. A _______provides an audience with the means to trace a writer’s reasoning in an argument 

1. Narration - to explain information about your topic as a series of events in story format

2. Cause-effect - to explain what caused (cause) something to happen (effect) related to your topic

3. Definition - to define a word or concept about your topic using synonyms, essential definition, or extended definition

4. Description - to create a picture in words (vivid, specific details) to help the reader visualize something a writer has seen, heard, or done

Tone

a writer’s attitude or feeling about a subject conveyed through their strategic choice of words, with particular attention to the connotations of the words.

Perspective

The complex interplay among a writer’s background, interests, and experiences that inform their personal convictions, or their positions on ideas

Thesis

A writer’s overarching claim. A writer defends his or her ____ by using reasoning supported by evidence. 

Counterargument

argument developed to oppose another argument–and alternative perspectives

Anecdote

short, real-life stories used to illustrate a point

Juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

Qualification

introduces details to indicate gradations of meaning or that a claim is not always true or may be valid only in certain circumstances

Argument

The combination of reasons, evidence, etc that an author uses to convince an audience of their position

line of reasoning

the logical sequence of the writer’s claim, evidence, and commentary that leads a reader to or from the writer’s conclusion 

Introductory phrase

sets the stage for the main action of the sentence, but they are not complete clauses. Phrases don't have both a subject and a verb that are separate from the subject and verb in the main clause of the sentence. Common introductory phrases include prepositional phrases, appositive phrases, participial phrases, infinitive phrases, and absolute phrases.

Transition

helps your readers move between ideas within a paragraph, between paragraphs, or between sections of your argument. When you are deciding how to transition from one idea to the next, your goal should be to help readers see how your ideas are connected—and how those ideas connect to the big picture. One useful way to do this is to start with old information and then introduce new information.

Sentence combining

a technique for “smoothing out” choppy writing by varying sentence structure and making a piece of writing more engaging for the reader

Coherence

achieved when sentences and ideas are connected and flow together smoothly. An essay without coherence can inhibit a reader’s ability to understand the ideas and main points of the essay. ____ allows the reader to move easily throughout the essay from one idea to the next, from one sentence to the next, and from one paragraph to the next.

Commentary

explanation or interpretation of evidence

Bias

a tendency to react prejudicially either for or against someone or something in an unfair way, often unconsciously