Question 1

Appeals to positive _____________ are often most effective at persuading people to change their attitudes or opinions, whereas appeals to negative ones are frequently most effective at inducing behavioral change.

Accepted Answer

Appeals to positive emotions are more effective in changing attitudes or opinions because they create a positive association with the change, making it more appealing. Appeals to negative emotions, on the other hand, can motivate immediate behavioral changes to avoid negative outcomes.

Question 2

Pathos appeals are usually focused on generating _____________ emotions because people generally dislike them and are motivated to respond to the appeal to reduce those feelings.

Accepted Answer

Pathos appeals are usually focused on generating negative emotions because people generally dislike them and are motivated to respond to the appeal to reduce those feelings.

Question 3

Maggie is giving a persuasive speech on vegetarianism. In her pathos appeals, Maggie decides to appeal to ___________ by showing a graphic video of a cow being slaughtered. As the audience watches the cow suffer and struggle before it dies, Maggie can see they are appalled, and she is sure her pathos appeal was effective.

Accepted Answer

Maggie's use of a graphic video to evoke a strong emotional reaction from her audience is aimed at eliciting feelings of disgust. The graphic nature of the video and the audience's appalled reaction indicate that disgust is the primary emotion being targeted.

Question 4

Brent knows his persuasive speech on helping orphans from New Orleans has to be emotional to motivate his audience to assist. Brent shows pictures of several orphans crying, and he quotes several of them talking about how difficult their lives have been and how they suffered after Hurricane Katrina in 2009. Brent is hoping to use these images and words to appeal to ______________ as part of his use of pathos.

Accepted Answer

Brent is using images of crying orphans and their quotes about suffering to evoke sadness in his audience, aiming to motivate them to help. This approach is a classic use of pathos, which involves appealing to the audience's emotions.

Question 5

The sale of blood diamonds-diamonds that are mined in a war zone and then sold to support an insurgency or warlord's activities-is an issue that Owen has long fought against. He is asked to speak at a bridal show, where he knows his audience is composed not only of brides, but jewelers as well. Owen uses the opportunity to discuss how children are often used in the mining of blood diamonds. At the conclusion of his speech, Owen shows a picture of a child missing a hand and says, "Next time someone tells you a diamond cost an arm and a leg, ask yourself if there might be some truth to that. Don't support this horrific practice just so you can have something sparkly on your hand". Which type of pathos appeal is Owen using?

Accepted Answer

Owen is using guilt as a pathos appeal by highlighting the suffering of children involved in blood diamond mining and urging the audience to reconsider their support for such practices.

Question 6

If you are appealing to your listeners' sense of reason, you are using which type of appeal?

Accepted Answer

Logos is the appeal to logic or reason, often by presenting facts, statistics, or a logical argument to persuade the audience.

Question 7

To ________________ means to make judgments about the world based on evidence rather than emotion or intuition.

Accepted Answer

To reason means to think logically and make judgments or decisions based on evidence rather than relying on emotional responses or gut feelings.

Question 8

What are the two types of reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves making generalizations based on specific observations, while deductive reasoning involves drawing specific conclusions from general principles or premises.

Question 9

When a doctor listens to a patient's symptoms, analyzes blood tests, and then provides a diagnosis, the doctor has used ____________________ reasoning.

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves making generalizations based on specific observations or cases, such as diagnosing a patient based on their symptoms and test results.

Question 10

Tonya tries to persuade her listeners that all swans in the world are white because no one has ever seen a swan that wasn't white. By offering this evidence to support her conclusion, Tonya uses ___________________ reasoning

Accepted Answer

Tonya is using inductive reasoning because she is making a generalization based on specific observations (all observed swans being white) to conclude that all swans are white. Inductive reasoning moves from specific instances to a general conclusion.

Question 11

In his speech, Jason attempts to persuade listeners that the assassination of President John F.Kennedy was a conspiracy. He begins by establishing that a conspiracy is any occurrence of two or more people acting together to commit a crime. He then presents evidence that several people acted together to kill President Kennedy. He concludes by claiming that, "Therefore, the assassination was a conspiracy". Jason's argument represents which form of reasoning?

Accepted Answer

Jason's argument is deductive because he starts with a general definition of a conspiracy and then applies it to the specific case of President Kennedy's assassination, concluding that it fits the definition of a conspiracy.

Question 12

Deductive claims often make use of a three-line argument, consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. What is this type of argument called?

Accepted Answer

A syllogism is a form of reasoning in which a conclusion is drawn from two given or assumed propositions (premises), each of which shares a common or middle term not present in the conclusion. This structure typically involves a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion, making it a key component of deductive reasoning.

Question 13

_______________ can be just as persuasive as full syllogisms, but only if listeners accept the validity of both the omitted premise and the premise that is included.

Accepted Answer

Enthymemes are a form of argument that omits one of the premises, relying on the audience's acceptance of the missing premise for its persuasive power.

Question 14

When we ask people to believe some statement, we are asserting that statement is true, so we are using a proposition of what?

Accepted Answer

When we ask people to believe some statement and assert that it is true, we are using a proposition of fact. This is because we are claiming that something is objectively the case in the world, which is a matter of fact rather than policy, value, or norms.

Question 15

When a speaker asserts a proposition of __________, the persuasive goal isn't to make someone believe the speaker; rather, it is to make someone agree with him or her.

Accepted Answer

When a speaker asserts a proposition of value, the goal is to persuade the audience to share a belief or value judgment, not just to accept a fact or truth. This involves convincing the audience to agree with the speaker's assessment of something's worth, morality, or desirability, rather than merely believing factual information.

Question 16

Nima is giving a speech against allowing same-sex marriage. She decides to argue a proposition of ___________ by saying, "Two people of the same sex marrying each other is immoral".

Accepted Answer

Nima's argument is based on a judgment of what is considered right or wrong, which aligns with a proposition of value. Propositions of value typically involve opinions on the worth, rightness, or morality of an idea or action.

Question 17

What type of proposition is based on a judgment that reflects the speaker's opinions about what is important, moral, and right?

Accepted Answer

Value propositions are based on judgments reflecting the speaker's opinions about what is important, moral, and right. They express values rather than objective facts or specific policies.

Question 18

If a speaker makes a claim about what we "should do", what type of proposition is he or she making?

Accepted Answer

When a speaker makes a claim about what we "should do," they are making a policy proposition. Policy propositions advocate for a specific course of action or a change in policy or procedures.

Question 19

Andy is asked to give a speech in his political science class on a current issue in the criminal justice system. He decides to discuss the death penalty. As his thesis, Andy states, "The death penalty should be made illegal in the United States". Andy has decided to base his presentation on a proposition of

Accepted Answer

Andy's thesis is advocating for a change in policy regarding the legality of the death penalty in the United States, making it a proposition of policy.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT an option for organizing a persuasive speech?

Accepted Answer

Space-time organization is typically used for informative speeches, especially when explaining historical events or processes over time, rather than for organizing persuasive speeches.

Quiz 15: Speaking Persuasively