Examination Paper

1.     Multiple choices (20%)

1)       By ________ we mean the words and sentence patterns chosen to express one’s ideas, feelings and intentions should be both grammatically correct and contextually proper.

A.      Inaccuracy         B. accuracy         C. formal         D. elegant

2)       The first book on rhetoric in English appeared in 1524, which was written by ________ and entitled Arte or Crafte of Rhetoryke.

A.      Leonard Cox       B. I.A. Richards      C. Mr. Chen Wangdao      D. John Donne

3)       All metaphors and similes are based on ________

A.      analogy          B. antonomasia      C. irony          D. allegory

4)       Most of the figures of speech are based on __________.

A. similarities in sound                                           B. classification

C. resemblance in wording                                   D. resemblance in image

5)       In the figure of antonomasia, Solomon is used as the meaning of __________.

A.      a stupid man      B. a bad person      C. a wise man     D. a handsome one

6)       __________ are mild, pleasant, neutral, or inoffensive expressions used instead of harsh, blunt, coarse, or unpleasant ones.

A.      Hyperbole              B. Euphemism      C. Understatement    D. Metaphor

7)       Repetition in writing can be divided into _________ repetition and intermittent repetition.

A.      immediate            B. indirect              C. mediate         D. logical

8)       Polysyndeton on, which derives from Greek meaning “much compounded”, is the abundant use of _________.

A.      verbs          B. adjectives         C. pronouns        D. conjunctions

9)       Benjamin Fanklin: “If we don’t hang together, we shall most assuredly hang separately.” This sentence uses _____­____.

A.      syllepsis            B. antithesis                C. oxymoron              D. paradox

10)   ______­___ is the opposite of climax.

A.      Repetition               B. Irony           C. Anticlimax             D. Parallelism

 

2.     Blank filling (20%)

1)       __________, according to Longman Modern English Dictionary, is the art or science of communication in words.

2)       Present-day Western rhetoric consists of two sub-branches, namely rhetoric and _________.

3)       When a metaphor has been so often used and becomes standardized as a way of referring to something, it is called a ________   _________.

4)       If we say he is passed away or he is go to heaven, which means he is _____________.

5)       Hyperbole is the opposite of _____________.

6)       Identify the figures of speech:

ž   “The moon is like a sliver plate.”                        ______________.

ž   “Love laughs at locksmiths.”                               ______________.

ž   “He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”                      ______________.

ž   “I haven’t seen you for ages.”                                      ______________.

ž   “The traffic crawled like a wounded snake.”  ______________.

 

3.     Judgment true of false (20%)

1)       There is no superiority and inferiority between communicative rhetoric and aesthetic rhetoric.                                                              (     )

2)       On diplomatic occasions one’s wording should be informal.                                   (     )

3)       Used in illustration, similes enable the profound theory more difficult to be understood.

(     )

4)       A metaphor, to be effective, has to have three properties, viz. freshness and originality, aptness and consistency.                                                 (     )

5)       Hyperbole is used to play down or to minimize the importance of something.       (     )

6)       There is some semantic overlapping between understatement and euphemism which, in its broad sense, is also a kind of understatement.                                (     )

7)       “I was not a little surprised at the news.” means “I was very surprised at the news.”  (     )

8)       Ellipsis is widely used in academic papers but not in modern novels.              (     )

9)       A verb (or phrasal verb) governs two nouns is one kind of syllepsis.               (     )

10)   The sentence “I kissed thee ere I killed thee.” which was written by Shakespeare used alliteration.                                                            (     )

 

4.     Analysis (40%)

1）  Learning rhetoric is of great importance and deserves our painstaking efforts. How to learn rhetoric well? According to the books you read and your experience, please explain your ideas and give some suggestions after this semester of learning.

2）  How many levers can be divided into in English rhetoric activities? What points or factors should we pay attention to in analyzing each lever?

 

 

   

Examination Paper (keys)

1.     Multiple choices (20%)

1)       By ___B____ we mean the words and sentence patterns chosen to express one’s ideas, feelings and intentions should be both grammatically correct and contextually proper.

A.      Inaccuracy         B. accuracy         C. formal         D. elegant

2)       The first book on rhetoric in English appeared in 1524, which was written by ___C____ and entitled Arte or Crafte of Rhetoryke.

A.      Leonard Cox       B. I.A. Richards     C. Mr. Chen Wangdao     D. John Donne

3)       All metaphors and similes are based on ____A____

B.      analogy          B. antonomasia      C. irony          D. allegory

4)       Most of the figures of speech are based on ____D____.

A. similarities in sound                                           B. classification

C. resemblance in wording                                   D. resemblance in image

5)       In the figure of antonomasia, Solomon is used as the meaning of ___ C____.

B.      a stupid man      B. a bad person      C. a wise man     D. a handsome one

6)       ____B____ are mild, pleasant, neutral, or inoffensive expressions used instead of harsh, blunt, coarse, or unpleasant ones.

B.      Hyperbole              B. Euphemism      C. Understatement    D. Metaphor

7)       Repetition in writing can be divided into ___ A____ repetition and intermittent repetition.

B.      immediate            B. indirect              C. mediate         D. logical

8)       Polysyndeton on, which derives from Greek meaning “much compounded”, is the abundant use of ____D____.

B.      verbs          B. adjectives         C. pronouns        D. conjunctions

9)       Benjamin Fanklin: “If we don’t hang together, we shall most assuredly hang separately.” This sentence uses ____A____.

B.      syllepsis            B. antithesis                C. oxymoron              D. paradox

10)   _____C_____ is the opposite of climax.

B.      Repetition               B. Irony           C. Anticlimax             D. Parallelism

2.     Blank filling (20%)

1)       __Rhetoric__, according to Longman Modern English Dictionary, is the art or science of communication in words.

2)       Present-day Western rhetoric consists of two sub-branches, namely rhetoric and __stylistics__.

3)       When a metaphor has been so often used and becomes standardized as a way of referring to something, it is called a __dead metaphor__.

4)       If we say he is passed away or he is go to heaven, which means he is __­died__.

5)       Hyperbole is the opposite of __understatement__.

6)       Identify the figures of speech:

ž   “The moon is like a sliver plate.”                        __simile__

ž   “Love laughs at locksmiths.”                               __personification__

ž   “He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”                      __zoosemy__

ž   “I haven’t seen you for ages.”                                      __hyperbole__

ž   “The traffic crawled like a wounded snake.”  __animalification__.

 

3.     Judgment true of false (20%)

1)       There is no superiority and inferiority between communicative rhetoric and aesthetic rhetoric.                                                              (  √  )

2)       On diplomatic occasions one’s wording should be informal.                                   (  ×  )

3)       Used in illustration, similes enable the profound theory more difficult to be understood.

(  ×  )

4)       A metaphor, to be effective, has to have three properties, viz. freshness and originality, aptness and consistency.                                                 (  √  )

5)       Hyperbole is used to play down or to minimize the importance of something.       (  ×  )

6)       There is some semantic overlapping between understatement and euphemism which, in its broad sense, is also a kind of understatement.                                (  √  )

7)       “I was not a little surprised at the news.” means “I was very surprised at the news.”  (  √  )

8)       Ellipsis is widely used in academic papers but not in modern novels.              (  ×  )

9)       A verb (or phrasal verb) governs two nouns is one kind of syllepsis.               (  √  )

10)   The sentence “I kissed thee ere I killed thee.” which was written by Shakespeare used alliteration.                                                            (  ×  )

 

4.     Analysis (40%)

1）  Learning rhetoric is of great importance and deserves our painstaking efforts. How to learn rhetoric well? According to the books you read and your experience, please explain your ideas and give some suggestions after this semester of learning.

Reference answer: (Other reasonable interpretation or more than three points mentioned can also be scored)

ž   You should possess a large vocabulary and get familiar with the basic rules of English grammar. If your vocabulary is not large and your proficiency of English grammatical rules not reasonable enough, you cannot make free choice of words and expressions, much less to say the employment of rhetorical devices.

ž   There are two workable approaches in learning rhetoric: one is from theory to practice, the other vice versa. In either case you should make a close combination of theory with practice.

ž   You can expose yourself to contemporary English by reading current issues of English newspapers or magazines which, in most cases, offer us the latest English and newest development of rhetoric.

ž   You should lay particular emphasis upon practices. Usage is the only test.

ž   Since rhetoric deals with the art of effective communication in words, you can search for more English forms and styles and take into account social and psychological factors as well.

ž   Whatever you say or write you must stick to the general principle: substance and necessity go first, elegance and vividness come next.

2）  How many levers can be divided into in English rhetoric activities? What points or factors should we pay attention to in analyzing each lever?

Reference answer:

(1)     Words: appropriateness, the choose of the word; precise; brief

(2)     Sentences: clarity, consistency, coherence, emphasis, variety

(3)     Paragraph: unity, coherence

(4)     Text: purpose, content, structure, style

 

07121065王沈 10

一、Multiple Choice 20

1 “She was the apple of his eyes” uses the figure of (  )B

A simile B metaphor C personification D analogy

2 “I didn’t half like that” uses the figure of (  )C

A Euphemism B Hyperbole C Understatement D Ellipsis

3 “The coward does it with a kiss, the brave man with a sword” uses the figure of (  )A

A antithesis B zeugma C analogy D metaphor

4 ( ) is a play on words，which involves an amusing use of expressions with a double meaning or the same sound but different meanings. D

A analogy B pun C dubitation D irony

5 “Little does he knew how much suffering he has caused” uses the figure of (  ) C

A hyperbole B understatement C inversion D satire

6 Which of the following sentence uses the figure of consonance？C

A Super Savings in the Skies

B I kissed thee ere I killed thee.

C Brelin had a puff and huff too many.

D Large factories in China wish to be given a freer hand in the right to hire and fire.

7 (  ) is a statement which is contrary to expectation, apparently abusurd or self-contradictory. D

A irony B oxymoron C epigram D paradox

8 Which of the following level is not the rhetoric level D

A word B sentence C paragraph D content

9“to believe your own thought, to believe that what is true of you in your private heart is true of all men----that is genius.”is a (  ) sentence. A

A periodic B loose C simple D compound

10 Which of the following type is not the type of sentence in English？D

A simple B compound C complex D simple-complex

 

二、Blank Filling 20

1 the sentence “have you ever read Shakespeare” uses the figure of ____.  metonymy

2 ____ and Coherence are two characteristics of paragraphic rhetoric. Unity

3 the sentence “waves high as mountains broke over the reef” uses the figure of____. exaggerate

4 the sentence “The hard-working boy seldom reads an hour per week” uses the figure of____. Irony

5 ____ refers to the arrangement of a series of ideas which go from the least important to the most important with steady strengthening of emotion and tone. Climax

6 the sentence “Little strokes fell great oaks” uses the phonetic device of____. Assonance

7 “Uncle Sam” is the antonomasia for ____. The United States

8 The sentence “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” uses the figure of ____. Repetition

9 The sentence “the news came like a bolt from the blue.” uses the figure of ____.  Simile

10 ____ is the sharpest satire. Ridicule

 

三、Judgement 20

1“The moon is like a silver plate” is a metaphor. 错

2 Analogy is a figure in which inanimate objects, abstractions and events are compared to human beings and human qualities and abilities are attributed to them. 错

3 All similes and analogies are based on metaphor. 错

4 Understatement is a figure of speech which deliberately exaggerates the truth. 错

5 Euphemisms are mild, pleasant, neutral, or inoffensive expressions used instead of harsh, blunt, coarse, or unpleasant ones.对

6 the sentence “to wage war and peace” uses the figure of zeugma.对

7 Understatement is the opposite of climax. 错

8 The form does not agree with the content is a characteristics of irony. 对

9 Inversion and Hyperbaton refer to the same rhetoric device. 对

10 Alliteration is a commonly used s3emantic device. 错

 

四、Analysis 30

A. hyperactivity committee member can contribute to efficiency. A hyperactive salesperson can contribute to profits. When a child is hyperactive , though , people----even parents-----may wish he had never been born. A collage of those who must cope with hyperactivity in children is a dark picture of frustration, anger, and loss.

  The first part of the college is the doctors. In their terminology the word hyperactivity is short for H-LD, a hyperkinesis-learning disability syndrome, They apply the word to children who are “abnormally or excessively busy.” But doctors do not fully understand the problems and thus differ over how to treat it. For example， some recommend a special diet；others， behavior-modifying drugs；and still others，who do not consider a hyperactivity to be a medical problem，a psychiatrist for the entire family. The result is a merry-go-round of tests, confusion, and frustration for the parents and the child.

…

上个语篇中所有句子的主要话题是hyperactivity;所有的话题构成了一组相关的概念:child，parents，problem；语篇还使用了语言的连贯表示法，因此是一个连贯性的语篇，体现了语篇的连贯性这一特点。

具体分析见《现代英语修辞学》page103。

 

B．“Whoo-oop! bow your neck and spread, for the kingdom of sorrow's a-coming! Hold me down to the earth, for I feel my powers a-working! whoo-oop! I'm a child of sin, don't let me get a start! Smoked glass, here, for all! Don't attempt to look at me with the naked eye, gentlemen! When I'm playful I use the meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude for a seine, and drag the Atlantic Ocean for whales! I scratch my head with the lightning, and purr myself to sleep with the thunder! When I'm cold, I bile the Gulf of Mexico and bathe in it; when I'm hot I fan myself                   with an equinoctial storm; when I'm thirsty I reach up and                   suck a cloud dry like a sponge; when I range the earth hungry,                  famine follows in my tracks!

                                            ------Mark Twain

The use of hyperbole and understatement makes the article vivid and attractive to the readers. Hyperbole is a figure of speech that are exaggerated in order to create emphasis or effect. Hyperbole is used to create emphasis. Understatement is a form of speech which contains an expression of less strength than would be expected. This is not to be confused with euphemism, where a polite phrase is used in place of a harsher or more offensive expression. Understatement is a staple of humor in English-speaking cultures, especially in American humor.

 

五、Questions 10

1、How many levels do the rhetoric of language have?

Word, sentence, paragraph and text.

2、what are the three characteristics of wording rhetoric?

Appropriateness, accuracy and simplicity.