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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following examples best demonstrates Aristotle's theory of possibility in Book II, Chapter 19?

2. Using an example of the similarities or differences between parents and their children, how did Aristotle describe Socrates' children?

3. Following the example given in Book II, Chapter 24, what false assumption could be made by describing a large crowd?

4. In addition to context, what type of application of rhetoric did Aristotle think should determine the style?

5. How did Aristotle describe the difference between spoken and written prose?

Short Essay Questions

1. What clarification did Aristotle make about amplification, enthymemes, and the soundness of enthymemes at the end of the section?

2. What was the benefit of using actual facts, the first type of example?

3. How did Aristotle define the application of vivid descriptions in rhetoric?

4. Based on the information in Book III, Chapter 10, which ideas could a metaphor help to deliver and why?

5. Which example did Aristotle use to display the fallacious ways an enthymeme could be formed?

6. How did Aristotle compare a simile and a metaphor in Book III, Chapter 4?

7. What were some of the ways Aristotle described what was and was not possible in rhetoric and oratory?

8. How did Aristotle explain the different kinds of arguments used by the three types of rhetoric in Book II, Chapter 18?

9. What was the periodic form of prose, and why did Aristotle prefer it?

10. Which rules for poetry and prose did Aristotle outline in Book III, Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A discussion of the epilogue ended On Rhetoric: A Theory of Civic Discourse by Aristotle.

1) Describe the responsibilities of an epilogue in a speech.

2) Explain the techniques that can be used in an epilogue and what the rhetorician should do after the epilogue is completed.

3) Analyze the effect of Aristotle's work on current and future rhetoric, speeches, dialogue, and literature.

Essay Topic 2

Legal rhetoric was a main form of speech for courts and trials in Aristotle's time.

1) Describe the similarities and differences between the two types of law: the special and the general.

2) Explain Aristotle's definition of wrongdoing.

3) Analyze how both laws applied to wrongdoing and legal rhetoric.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast enthymemes and examples in rhetoric. Include an analysis of the twenty eight forms of enthymemes, the two types of examples, Aristotle's reference to historical and political examples of both, and how enthymemes and examples were applied to rhetoric in general.

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