Rhetoric in an Age of Science and Technology (passage 2)

In the opening paragraph, the author

assumes which of the following is true

about his audience?

• They are critical of new

  technologies.

• They recognize the pervasiveness of

  science and technologies.

• They do not fully understand the

  growth of science and technologies.

• They choose to remain ignorant to

  the changes that science and

  technology will bring.

• The changes in science and

  technology impact a relatively small

  number of specialists

Answer explanation

B

The author assumes that their audience acknowledges and agrees that they are living in an

age of science and technology. They presume a common understanding that technology and

science play a major role in current society. The author assumes that their audience is aware of

recent scientific achievements, specifically the moon landing. The reference to "men driving a

vehicle on the surface of the moon" suggests that the audience is informed about historical and

contemporary developments in science and technology. Further, the mention of "electromagnetic

signals" implies that the audience has a basic understanding of how technology like television

broadcasts work. Ultimately, the author assumes their audience is educated and up-to-date on

technological advancements, and shares a common perspective on the significance and ubiquity

of technology in the modern age.

Tags

RHS

According to the author, the common

misconception among English teachers

(paragraph 2) in college is that

• their publications are the results of

  the labors of specialists trained in

  comprehensible skills

• teachers are unable to contribute

  publications due to the

  overwhelming number of college

  English students

• the majority of English students are

  bound for fields within the

  humanities

• the skills taught in the English

  classes are not relevant to the

  majority of students and thus need

  to be more specialized

• the current rhetorical skills are

  antiquated and no longer fitting for

  new professions

Answer explanation

C

The author is suggesting that there is a misconception among English teachers in colleges

about the future paths of their students and the relevance of the skills they're being taught. The

misconception is that the majority of these students are bound for fields within the humanities,

such as law, art, philosophy, history, foreign languages, education, and literature. The basis for

this misunderstanding seems to be a sampling bias. English teachers mostly come into contact

with a broad range of students in freshman composition courses, before students have chosen

their specializations. As students progress, those who continue to take advanced English courses

are often English majors or students planning to enter humanities fields, since these courses tend

to focus on literature analysis and social criticism, which are perceived as more relevant to these

areas of study.

Tags

CLE

In the fourth paragraph, the author

discusses the U.S. Office of Education

report on the “number of degrees

awarded by institutions of higher

education” primarily to

• explain the change in the number of

  degrees awarded from institutions of

  higher education

• substantiate the claim made in the

  previous paragraph

• question the validity of published

  reports of degrees awarded from

  institutions of higher education

• contrast the number of degrees

  awarded in the humanistic

  disciplines with those awarded in

  the technological disciplines

• qualify the claim made in the

  previous paragraph

Tags

CLE

In the sixth paragraph, the author’s

admittance that there is “difficulty in

getting [faculty members] to reply to

[his] questionnaire” is best characterized

as

• an acknowledgement of research

  limitations

• a critique of faculty members’

  behavior

• an admittance of personal failure

• an acknowledgement of the

  questionnaire’s flaws

• an expression of empathy towards

  faculty members’ professional

  expectations

Answer explanation

A

Strongest arguments recognize and acknowledge limitations of material and account for

these limitations. The author mentions the “difficulty in getting [faculty members] to reply to

[his] questionnaire” to acknowledge the limitations of the data he is presenting. By stating this,

the author conveys to the reader that while the results of his inquiry are interesting and insightful,

they may not capture the full picture of faculty publication. The author uses this admission to

enhance his credibility, demonstrating that he understands the nuances and possible shortcomings

of the data he is analyzing. The incomplete response to the questionnaire could potentially skew

the results, as it may not include all the works published by the faculty. This context allows the

reader to better understand the extent to which they should rely on this data.

Tags

CLE

In the sixth paragraph, which of the

following best describes the effects of

the author’s rhetorical choices (“The

English Department...English

Department”)?

• To prove that the English

  department is superior to all other

  departments

  
  

• To question the importance of books

  in scholarly work

• To emphasize the difference

  between publications from the

  humanities and other disciplines

• To address the misconception that

  the humanities professors publish

  more

• To preview the call to action that

  humanities professors need to better

  prepare students for publishing

Answer explanation

C

The author uses these statistics to highlight the unexpected disparity between the output

of departments traditionally associated with writing (English) and those not typically seen as

producing a high volume of written work (Physics and Psychology). This contrast challenges

preconceived notions about which disciplines involve substantial writing. The author's main

argument seems to be that there is an increasing demand for rhetoric expertise due to the

significant amount of writing done in scientific and technological fields. By showing that these

departments produce a high volume of written work, he bolsters his argument.

Tags

RHS

The author italicizes the term

“information” in the seventh paragraph

primarily to

• criticize the overuse of the term

  “information”

• discredit the initial findings

  published in certain departments

• emphasize its importance in the

  context of the paragraph

• indicate it is a technical term

  specific to the field of science

• downplay the written publications

  coming from certain fields

Answer explanation

C

The author discusses the "explosion of information" in science and technology fields due

to the increase in graduates and the significant amount they write. The author uses italics to

emphasize the term "information" to draw attention to its importance in the context of his

argument. First, by italicizing "information," the author underscores that this is a crucial concept

within his discussion. It serves as a focal point that readers should pay particular attention to.

Further, the author uses this feature to signal that "information" is being used in a specific or non-

traditional way. By marking it out, the author is suggesting that readers should think about this

term not just in its standard sense but as something more specific to the context of science and

technology graduates' writing. By italicizing "information," the author emphasizes the enormity

and significance of the information explosion that has occurred in the science and technology

fields. This added emphasis helps to underscore the author's argument about the importance of

effective writing and rhetoric in these fields.

Tags

STL

The author’s decision to repeat “our

lives” in the seventh paragraph primarily

serves to do all the following EXCEPT

• create a sense of shared

  responsibility

• imply that challenges faced due to

  advancement are collective

• highlight a disconnect between

  scientific advancements and daily

  life

• underscore the immediate relevance

  and impact of the information

  explosion

• to highlight the author’s concern for

  future generations

Answer explanation

E

By repeating "our lives," the author reinforces the significance of the issue, stressing that

the rapid increase in knowledge and information will impact us all significantly. This isn't a

problem that only affects future generations; it affects us here and now. Additionally, the author

repeats “our” to create a sense of community and shared responsibility. It subtly implies that the

challenges faced due to the rapid advancement of technology and science are not just for

scientists or academics to address but are collective issues that we all need to grapple with. The

repetition serves to underscore this sense of collective engagement and shared experience.

Tags

STL

Which of the following best describes

the effects of the author’s rhetorical

choices in the last sentences of the

seventh paragraph (“It was forty

years...radio and TV”)?

• document key scientific and

  technological advances

• emphasize increasing pace of

  scientific technological advances

• equate discoveries in humanities

  with discoveries in science and

  technology

• illustrate events classified as an

  “explosion of information”

  
  

• offer specific examples of the facts

  presented in the introductory

  paragraph

Answer explanation

B

The rhetorical effect of these sentences is to convey the accelerating pace of

technological innovation. By providing concrete examples of significant scientific discoveries

and the timescales in which they were practically applied, the author is able to give a clear and

impactful demonstration of his point. The decreasing time frames (from 40 years, to 12 years, to 7

years) effectively emphasize how quickly theory can turn into practice in the modern era,

reinforcing the concept of the "explosion of information" that the author discusses earlier.

Tags

CLE

Which of the following best summarizes

the author’s thesis?

• The humanities needs to help teach

  rhetoric suitable for diverse

  disciplines, especially due to the

  growth in science and technology.

• It is the sole responsibility of

  English educators to foster a love of

  reading, composition to prepare

  students for publication.

• The majority of students who

  professors interact with are not

  devoted to the pursuit of humanities.

• The majority of humanities courses

  in higher education teach skills,

  concepts, and social criticism that

  are not explicably applicable.

• Scientific and technological rhetoric

  are rooted in esoteric skills that only

  a few college students will

  specialize in and be required to

  employ.

Answer explanation

A

The author's thesis in this passage is that there is a growing need for the teaching of

rhetoric, especially within the realms of science and technology, due to the increasing rate of

scientific advancement and information production. The author argues that students in these

disciplines do a significant amount of writing, which is often overlooked by English educators

who largely focus on literary analysis. By presenting data on the higher number of degrees

awarded in science and technology versus humanities, the author emphasizes the mismatch

between the educational focus and real-world needs. Furthermore, the author suggests that the

rapid translation of scientific theories into practical applications intensifies the importance of

effective communication in these fields, which can be facilitated by a strong understanding and

application of rhetoric.

Tags

REO

Throughout the piece, the author draws

on contrasts between all the following

EXCEPT

• the perception and the reality of

  student specialization

• theoretical formulation and practical

  application

• esoteric skills and comprehensible

  human disciplines

• degrees awarded by institutions of

  higher education and economic gain

• past and current changes within the

  disciplines of science and

  technology

Tags

REO