I had also wondered about how to tell from the LSAT questions how to gauge what is rhetorical and what is a sincere question. After doing some research I was provided these examples (the key being the implication of an obvious answer or to serve as a method of persuasion in an argument). For example:
"Sandy claims to be a world-renowned baker. But has she ever actually baked a cookie or does she just order them from Costco and place them on a fancy plate?"
This would imply a very specific answer (to my understanding), making it a rhetorical question. Versus the question below:
"The recent decline in the global frog population has scientists puzzled. What environmental factors could be causing such a widespread and rapid decrease in their numbers?"
This would be a sincere question, without implication of a specific answer. Ill have to keep looking for more specific LSAT excerpt examples but this was helpful for me.
@ayeshamunir It's interesting how some questions = don't assume anything, if the author doesn't say it, it can't be true. Other questions = Assume, reasonableness... etc..
I find this difficult as I feel as though rhetorical questions rely on tone. How are we to know if it a rhetorical question or if the author is just uneducated and asking a common-sense question?
This is one of those concepts on the LSAT that does not appear often; however, just understanding the basis of it will help immensely when it does come across on the LSAT!
We can even break down rhetorical questions further. Sometimes they can be used to imply a statement for dramatic effect, meaning, once we see the declarative statement of the rhetorical question, the declarative statement can further be analyzed to make another statement,
Example: Lets say we have a case where all the evidence lines up to show that Bob is guilty. Someone asks the prosecutor, is Bob guilty. The prosecutor responds: Is the sky blue?
The declarative statement is “the sky is blue” but we can further break that down to say “yes, Bob is obviously guilty,”
Oh my goodness, gracious! I CANNOT BELIEVE you said the forbidden S-WORD! I am IMMEDIATELY cancelling my subscription and taking three showers to cleanse myself of this filthy language.
How is [the author knows the answer] equal to the author does not know the answer? Or am I just misunderstanding the differences in question type and trying to merge them together.
42 comments
Can we pls have examples of this in actual LSAT questions? :(
I agree. I think it's worth it to "spoil" one LSAT question per topic to see an example of how each lesson applies.
#feedback for 7Sage!
I love how raw the language is in this "oh jeez I do wonder where a bear shits". I enjoyed the laugh in the midst of a tricky concept.
@DezerreeSnyder Same honestly it's been a rough day already the humor is quite pleasing
"Oh jeez I do wonder where a bear shits. Be it in the woods?"
Lmao. It's nice to get a chuckle when you've been staring at a screen for hours.
@andrewstine99 Morty:
an example of this happening would have been great!
Does the Pope shit in the woods?
How do you keep a fool in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow.
@Adri can't wait to hear the answer
Would have liked to see a drill on this concept.
I had also wondered about how to tell from the LSAT questions how to gauge what is rhetorical and what is a sincere question. After doing some research I was provided these examples (the key being the implication of an obvious answer or to serve as a method of persuasion in an argument). For example:
"Sandy claims to be a world-renowned baker. But has she ever actually baked a cookie or does she just order them from Costco and place them on a fancy plate?"
This would imply a very specific answer (to my understanding), making it a rhetorical question. Versus the question below:
"The recent decline in the global frog population has scientists puzzled. What environmental factors could be causing such a widespread and rapid decrease in their numbers?"
This would be a sincere question, without implication of a specific answer. Ill have to keep looking for more specific LSAT excerpt examples but this was helpful for me.
rip pope
I can't stress enough how much I laughed when I read this sentence:
"Oh jeez I do wonder where a bear shits. Be it in the woods?" No, that's not what's happening. "
Me too
lol
@aegomezbor795 Millennial humor
As simple as these grammar lessons are, without them I have been overthinking a lot.
These exercises have been good grounding exercises. Feels like we are building a solid foundation.
so are we to assume every question posed is a rhetorical question? how do we know if it is sincere vs rhetorical?
@ayeshamunir It's interesting how some questions = don't assume anything, if the author doesn't say it, it can't be true. Other questions = Assume, reasonableness... etc..
I find this difficult as I feel as though rhetorical questions rely on tone. How are we to know if it a rhetorical question or if the author is just uneducated and asking a common-sense question?
could've used a nice complex example for this
Would be really helpful here to get an example of what a rhetorical question might look like on the LSAT.
Bears can shit in meadows, too.
Or in your backyard.
Will the author 's rhetorical question be evident in the information provided or is that an assumption we have to make?
A bear does indeed shit in the woods
How do I know if a question is a rhetorical or sincere question?
This is one of those concepts on the LSAT that does not appear often; however, just understanding the basis of it will help immensely when it does come across on the LSAT!
We can even break down rhetorical questions further. Sometimes they can be used to imply a statement for dramatic effect, meaning, once we see the declarative statement of the rhetorical question, the declarative statement can further be analyzed to make another statement,
Example: Lets say we have a case where all the evidence lines up to show that Bob is guilty. Someone asks the prosecutor, is Bob guilty. The prosecutor responds: Is the sky blue?
The declarative statement is “the sky is blue” but we can further break that down to say “yes, Bob is obviously guilty,”
I agree with many of the comments regarding the difficulty of distinguishing between a rhetorical question and a sincere one.
Oh my goodness, gracious! I CANNOT BELIEVE you said the forbidden S-WORD! I am IMMEDIATELY cancelling my subscription and taking three showers to cleanse myself of this filthy language.
bruh
@npascher LMAO
what is an example of this?
Does the bear poop in the woods?
is the pope catholic ?
@magelladecle14499 Does toast always land butter side down? (I tried...)
How is [the author knows the answer] equal to the author does not know the answer? Or am I just misunderstanding the differences in question type and trying to merge them together.
#help (Added by Admin)