AP English Language — Rhetoric and Argument flashcards
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The rhetorical situation, appeals, claims, evidence and commentary, line of reasoning, argument types and fallacies, rhetorical devices and syntax, synthesis, and what the three essays reward — mostly applied to short original examples.
Learn deck · part of AP English Language and Composition · written against: College Board AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description (rhetorical-analysis and argument skills). Updated 2026-10-10.
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A principal writes to families the morning after a burst pipe floods the school gym. In rhetorical terms, what is the flood?The exigence — the event or problem that prompts the writer to speak and makes the text necessary now.Rhetorical Situation › Elements
Why: Naming the exigence explains why the letter exists at this moment and what it must address first. -
How does a text's context differ from its exigence?The exigence is the specific spark for the text; the context is the wider set of circumstances — time, place, culture, the debate already under way — in which writer and audience meet.Rhetorical Situation › Elements
Example: a letter about a factory closing has the closing as its exigence and a decade of regional job losses as part of its context. -
Which type of claim is 'The district should start high-school classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m.'?A claim of policy — it proposes a course of action, usually signaled by should or must. It needs evidence that a problem exists and that this solution fits it.Claims and Evidence › Claims and Thesis
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Which type of claim is 'Reality television does more harm than good to teenage viewers'?A claim of value — it judges something as good or bad, better or worse. The writer must define the standard of judgment (harm to self-image, say) and show how the subject measures up against it.Claims and Evidence › Claims and Thesis
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What is meant by an argument's 'line of reasoning'?The logical sequence of claims that work together to defend the thesis, each building on or adding to the last, so the reader can follow how the writer gets from evidence to conclusion.Reasoning and Organization › Line of Reasoning
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'The plan proved popular. Consequently, the council fast-tracked it.' What relationship does 'Consequently' signal, and why do such words matter?Cause and effect. Transitions make the relationships between ideas explicit — addition, contrast, cause, concession — which is how a reader sees a line of reasoning rather than a list of points.Reasoning and Organization › Line of Reasoning
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'We came for the jobs. We stayed for the neighbors. We fought for the town.' Which device repeats the start of each sentence, and what is its effect?Anaphora — repetition of the opening word or words. It builds rhythm and a sense of collective identity, so the audience hears the town's story as its own.Style › Rhetorical Devices
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'She was ready to argue for the plan, ready to vote for the plan, ready to sacrifice for the plan.' Which device ends each phrase, and what does it emphasize?Epistrophe — repetition at the ends of successive phrases. Landing on 'the plan' again and again fixes attention on the object of her commitment.Style › Rhetorical Devices
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How do the three AP English Language free-response tasks differ in where the evidence comes from?Free-Response Tasks
- The synthesis essay argues a position using a set of provided sources;
- the rhetorical analysis essay explains how a given passage's choices serve its writer's purpose;
- the argument essay defends a position with evidence the student brings from reading, experience or observation.
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Conceptually, what three things are AP English Language essays scored on?Free-Response Tasks
- A defensible thesis that answers the prompt;
- evidence and commentary that develop a line of reasoning;
- and sophistication of thought or style.
Evidence and commentary carry the most weight.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Topic order follows the big ideas and skill categories of the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course and Exam Description (effective Fall 2024), used as a skills outline only (no text copied).
- Rhetorical and logical terms checked against Aristotle's Rhetoric (W. Rhys Roberts translation, public domain) and the Purdue Online Writing Lab (reference only; no text copied). All example sentences are original.
- Terms also checked against Silva Rhetoricae (Gideon O. Burton, Brigham Young University; CC BY 3.0), Merriam-Webster.com and the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and the free-response cards against the College Board's AP English Language exam page and its scoring rubrics (reference only; no text copied).
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