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Rhetoric Questions: Analyzing Purpose

Overall, rhetoric refers to the language the author uses, especially in order to persuade or influence the reader. 

Some Analyzing Purpose questions ask about the purpose of the passage as a whole. Every author has a reason for writing. To identify that reason—or purpose—ask these two questions:

• Why did the author write this passage?
• What does the author want the reader to think about this topic?

Other Analyzing Purpose questions will ask you to identify the purpose of part of a passage, usually one or more paragraphs. To answer this type of question, read around the cited portion, review your Passage Map, and ask these two questions:

• What is the function of this section? 
• How does this section help achieve the author’s purpose?

Rhetoric Questions: Analyzing Point of View

The author’s point of view is closely tied to the purpose of the passage. Though some authors are neutral, most authors have an opinion, or point of view. Questions that ask you to analyze point of view require you to establish the author’s perspective and how that perspective affects the content and the style of the passage. That is, you need to figure out not only what the author says, but also how the author says it. Mapping the passage will help you determine the author’s point of view.

As you map a passage, ask: 

• Is the author’s tone positive, negative, or neutral?
• Does the author want things to change or stay the same?
• Is the author addressing supporters or opponents?

Rhetoric Questions: Analyzing Word Choice

Rhetoric questions about word choice ask about how a particular word or phrase affects your understanding of the author’s purpose and point of view.

Don’t confuse analyzing word choice questions with Vocab-in-Context questions, which ask about the meaning of a word or phrase. Analyzing Word Choice questions ask about the function of a word or phrase within the passage; that is, why did the author use this word or phrase?

To answer Analyzing Word Choice questions, ask what the function of the cited word or phrase is. Common functions of words or phrases include:

• Setting a mood
• Conveying an emotion
• Building to a conclusion
• Calling to action
• Stating an opinion

Remember

Correct answers to Analyzing Word Choice questions will always be in line with the author’s overall purpose.

Rhetoric Questions: Analyzing Text Structure

Some Rhetoric questions will require you to analyze the structure of the passage. The SAT Reading Test will ask about two kinds of text structures:

1. Overall text structure refers to how the information within a passage is organized. Some common text structures are cause-and-effect, compare-and-contrast, sequence, problem-and-solution, and description.
2. Part-whole relationships describe how a particular part of the passage (e.g., a sentence, quotation, or paragraph) relates to the overall text. When asked about a part-whole relationship, make sure you determine what function the part plays in the passage.

Expert Tip

Include the structure of the passage in your Passage Map. Identifying the structure of the text will make it easier to understand and analyze its content.

Rhetoric Questions: Analyzing Arguments

Other Rhetoric questions will ask you to analyze arguments within the text for both their form and content.

Questions that ask you to analyze a text’s arguments vary in scope. There are three types of Analyzing Arguments questions. You may be asked to:

1. Analyze claims and counterclaims. A claim is not an opinion but rather the main point or thesis of a passage the author promotes. A counterclaim is the opposite of a claim—it will negate or disagree with the thesis or central idea of the passage.
2. Assess reasoning. The reasoning of a passage is composed of the statements offering support for claims and counterclaims. On the SATReading test, you may be asked whether an author’s or character’s reasoning is sound—that is, whether the argument is valid and the reasoning for the argument is true.
3. Analyze evidence. Evidence can be facts, reasons, statistics, and other information the author employs to support a claim or counterclaim. You will have to assess how  and why this evidence is used.

Let’s look at the following example of a test-like passage and question set. After the mapped passage, the left column contains questions similar to those you’ll see on the Reading Test on Test Day. The column on the right features the strategic thinking test experts employ when approaching the passage and questions presented. Pay attention to how test experts vary the approach to answer different question types.

Strategic Thinking

Step 1: Read actively

Read the passage and the notes provided. Remember, a well-crafted Passage Map should summarize the central idea of each paragraph as well as important topics or themes. Use your Passage Map to help you answer each question.

1. Questions 1-3 are based on the following passage.

2. This passage details the varying and changing scientific theories surrounding sunspots.

   Astronomers noted more than 150 years ago that sunspots wax and wane in number in an 11-year cy- cle. Ever since, people have speculated that the solar cycle might exert some influence on the Earth’s weather. In this century, for example, scientists have
   linked the solar cycle to droughts in the American Midwest. Until recently, however, none of these cor- relations has held up under close scrutiny. One problem is that sunspots themselves are so poorly understood. Observations have revealed that the swirly smudges represent areas of intense mag-	¶1: sunspot cycle & weather
   netic activity where the sun’s radiative energy has been blocked and that they are considerably cooler than bright regions of the sun. Scientists have not been able, however, to determine just how sunspots are created or what effect they have on the solar constant (a misnomer that refers to the sun’s total radiance at any instant). The latter question, at least, now seems to have been resolved by data from the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, which has monitored the solar constant since 1980, the peak of the last solar cycle. As the number of sunspots decreased through 1986, the satellite recorded a gradual dimming	¶2: sunspots = poorly understood
   of the sun. Over the past year, as sunspots have proliferated, the sun has brightened. The data suggest that the sun is 0.1 percent more luminous at the peak of the solar cycle, when the number of sunspots is greatest, than at its nadir, according to Richard C. Willson of the Jet Propulsion Labora- tory and Hugh S. Hudson of the University of California at San Diego. The data show that sunspots do not themselves make the sun shine brighter. Quite the contrary. When a sunspot appears, it initially causes the sun to dim slightly, but then after a period of weeks or months islands of brilliance called faculas usually	¶3: SMM = effects of spots on solar constant
   emerge near the sunspot and more than compen- sate for its dimming effect. Willson says faculas may represent regions where energy that initially was blocked beneath a sunspot has finally breached the surface. Does the subtle fluctuation in the solar constant manifest itself in the Earth’s weather? Some recent reports offer statistical evidence that it does, albeit rather indirectly. The link seems to be mediated by	¶4: not sunspots, but faculas that brighten
   a phenomenon known as the quasi-biennial oscil- lation (QBO), a 180-degree shift in the direction of stratospheric winds above the Tropics that occurs about every two years. Karin Labitzke of the Free University of Berlin and Harry van Loon of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, were the first to uncover the QBO link. They gathered temperature and air-pressure readings from vari- ous latitudes and altitudes over the past three solar cycles. They found no correlation between the solar cycle and their data until they sorted the data into two categories: those gathered during the QBO’s	¶5: spots indirectly affect weather (QBO)
   west phase (when the stratospheric winds blow west) and those gathered during its east phase. A remarkable correlation appeared: temperatures and pressures coincident with the QBO’s west phase rose and fell in accordance with the solar cycle.     Building on this finding, Brian A. Tinsley of the National Science Foundation discovered a statistical correlation between the solar cycle and the posi- tion of storms in the North Atlantic. The latitude of storms during the west phase of the QBO, Tinsley	¶6: KL & HvL found link to temp & pressure
   found, varied with the solar cycle: storms occurring toward the peak of a solar cycle traveled at latitudes about six degrees nearer the Equator than storms during the cycle’s nadir. Labitzke, van Loon, and Tinsley acknowledge that their findings are still rather mysterious. Why does the solar cycle seem to exert more of an influence during the west phase of the QBO than it does during the east phase? How does the 0.1	¶7: BT found link b/t solar cycle & storms
   percent variance in solar radiation trigger the much larger changes—up to six degrees Celsius in polar regions—observed by Labitzke and van Loon? Van Loon says simply, “We can’t explain it.” John A. Eddy of the National Center for Atmo- spheric Research, nonetheless, thinks these QBO findings as well as the Solar Maximum Mission data “look like breakthroughs” in the search for a link	¶8: sci. can’t explain links
   between the solar cycle and weather. With further research into how the oceans damp the effects of solar flux, for example,  these findings may lead to models that have some predictive value. The next few years may be particularly rich in solar flux.	¶9: breakthroughs, but more research to be done

3. Questions	Strategic Thinking
   The author’s point of view can best be described as that of a meteorologist voicing optimism that the findings of recent solar research will improve weather forecasting. an astronomer presenting a digest of current findings to a review board of other astronomers. a science writer explaining the possible influence of a solar phenomenon on terrestrial weather patterns. a historian detailing the contributions to climate science made by the Solar Maximum Mission.	Step 2: Examine the question stem Identify the keywords in the question stem: “The author’s point of view.” Any Passage Map notes about the author’s viewpoint will help answer this question. However, the Passage Map doesn’t note any specific view or opinion the author offers. Step 3: Predict and answer Because the author doesn’t express his or her own opinions regarding the topic, the correct answer will accurately reflect the informative style and neutral tone of the passage, as well as the passage’s central idea. Choice (C) is correct.
   The main purpose of the questions in paragraph 8 (lines 74-82) is to emphasize how little scientists know about the solar constant. explain more fully the mysterious nature of the scientists’ findings. question the basis upon which these scientists built their hypotheses. express doubts about the scientists’ interpretations of their findings.	Step 2: Examine the question stem Identify the keywords in the question stem: “main purpose of the questions” and “paragraph 8.” Look at the Passage Map notes for paragraph 8 to answer this question. Step 3: Predict and answer The notes next to paragraph 8 say, “sci. can’t explain links.” The correct answer will allude to the uncertainty that surrounds Labitzke, van Loon, and Tinsley’s findings. Choice (B) is correct.
   The use of the quoted phrase “look like breakthroughs” in line 86 is primarily meant to convey the idea that information about the solar cycle has allowed scientists to predict changes in Earth’s complex climate system. additional analysis of the link between the solar cycle and Earth’s weather may yield useful models. despite the associated costs, space missions can lead to important discoveries. an alternative interpretation of the data may contradict the initial findings.	Step 2: Examine the question stem Identify the keywords in the question stem. The key words include not only the cited phrase and its line number, but also the phrase, “primarily meant to convey the idea.” The correct answer will not restate the meaning of the cited phrase but its purpose within the passage. Look at the Passage Map notes surrounding “look like breakthroughs” in line 86. Step 3: Predict and answer The cited phrase is a quotation from an official at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The note next to this part of the passage says that more research is required to fully comprehend any possible link between the solar cycle and weather. Choice (B) is correct.