Test your basic knowledge |

Persuasion

Subject : soft-skills
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. When you read a nonfiction passage - you must decide what information is important and what is not. What you must remember is the essential information. Essential information is necessary to understand a passage. This includes the main idea and the s






2. Tries to persuade the reader to do - think - or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it - The famous McDonald's billboards displaying how many hamburgers the restaurants have sold. Mocked by Jerry Seinfeld: 'How insecure is this c






3. We call agree on the proper definitions of freedom and democracy - we can all agree that freedom and democracy are inherently good and are worth fighting a war - we agree that American freedom and American democracy are applicable to a non-American c






4. What is the best or most accurate interpretation?






5. The dictionary definition of a word






6. Persuading by making people feel as though they are one of the elite if they are using a particular product or thinking a certain way






7. The ability to make a 'rational' link between your claim and evidence - which helps the audience consent to your argument






8. Advertisers try to make their products stand out by focusing on a single element that is found only in their product - hoping that consumers will think this means their product is better - he only breathmint that has retsyn - There's nothing else lik






9. Takes as evidence what it claims to prove






10. Dissimilarities between two things are so much greater than their similarities - that their connection is unjustified






11. What's my message? - Who's my audience? - How should I adapt my message to my specific audience? - What's my rhetorical strategy? - What's my goal?






12. Improve our ability to argue for our views and perspectives - Improve our ability to provide counter-arguments to other people's arguments - Improve our ability to assess the legitimacy of arguments in general.






13. Evidence supporting the team's position or used to denigrate or defeat the opposing view






14. Propaganda is a systematic way of spreading beliefs through a combination of facts - opinions disguised as facts - and repetition. Sometimes there is also some stretching of the truth. When you read - decide whether the author is trying to persuade y






15. Ordinary people sell a message. You are to believe that because these people are like you - they can be trusted.






16. An expressed opinion - statement - or point of view






17. Questioning or proving the existence or actuality of some event - action - thing - person






18. Inducement to act by argument or reasoning or entreaty






19. To reduce complex matters to an either/or logic






20. A discussion adhering to parliamentary rules of proposition between two opposing sides






21. The study of persuasion and its ways and means - the science of discourse - well-crafted communication that helps your achieve your persona - social - and/or political goals






22. Advertisers make it seem that the product is so new that you will be the first on the block to have it - The motor car is the magic carpet of modern times - Something new for the boys






23. The information that is not necessary to understand the passage is called nonessential information. This may include opinions or details that do not add to the main idea of the passage.






24. Telling only positive things about something or someone - without giving evidence or facts






25. The generally held opinion held prior to the debate






26. A statement that cannot be proved true. It is something that someone/author thinks - believes - feels. Some clue words associated with opinions are; think. appears - feel - believes. seems.






27. An argument based on two premises and a conclusion that is logically true - E.g. vegetarian do not eat meat - I am a vegetarian - Therefore - I do not eat meat






28. The process of selecting - organizing - and interpreting our experiences






29. Appeal to an unqualified expert






30. An emotional appeal that stirs the feelings of the audience/reader/listener






31. When you assume that the audience will automatically supply and accept an unspoken premise; construct an argument that does not explicitly state all the premises because you know the audience members will fill in those premises on their own.






32. Words or images that appeal to the audience's emotions are used. The appeal may be to positive emotions - such as desire for success - or to negative ones - such as fear.






33. Assumes a statement's conclusion is true without any sufficient evidence






34. The side that will argue the proposition






35. Facts - figures - numbers - graphs - charts - polls - surveys






36. What course of action should we take as a government - nation - country - or culture?






37. To treat one cause among many as if it is the single cause






38. An ethical appeal that establishes the speaker's or writer's credibility and trustworthiness






39. Sequential relationship is misinterpreted as causal (this caused that)






40. Facts - conditions - statements - beliefs or views that others can observe and potentially agree with






41. Does not acknowledge the possibility of a neutral position






42. The business technique that uses narration and storytelling to evoke a particular experience of a product - person - company. Also used to promote particular lifestyles. By consuming this bran - you participate within this lifestyle - e.g. Starbucks-






43. Advertisers sometimes use words or phrases that seem significant - but on closer inspection they are actually meaningless - e.g. 'Leaves dishes virtually spotless.' We have seen so many ad claims that we have learned to tune out weasels. You are sup






44. Advertisers use celebrities and regular people to endorse products - If it's good enough for astronauts its good enough for you - The official candy bar of the Olympic Games






45. What is the best or most accurate definition?






46. Advertisers intentionally do not finish a comparison - Our Candy is Sweetest - The safer car for your family






47. An author may write with bias - an unfair fondness or dislike for something. For example - suppose an author believes that the government should be tougher on teen crime. If the author wrote an article about teenage crime - his/her bias would most li






48. Statements claiming that some proposition is untrue or incorrect






49. An argument whose conclusion does not follow from its premise






50. Assumes because one thing is allowed - worse things will occur after