Question

recognizing rhetorical techniques in a speech
ssignment active
analyzing rhetorical appeals
as of september 1, 2001, the federal judiciary consisting of supreme, circuit and district court judges was about 22% women. in 1992, nearly ten years ago, when i was first appointed a district court judge, the percentage of women in the total federal judiciary was only 13%.
—“a latina judge’s voice,”
sonia sotomayor
what type of appeal does the speaker use in this passage?
how does this appeal support the author’s purpose?
ethos
logos
pathos

Explanation:

To determine the rhetorical appeal, we analyze the passage. The speaker (Sonia Sotomayor) uses numerical data: in 2001, 22% of federal judiciary judges were women, and in 1992, it was 13%. Logos is the rhetorical appeal that uses logic, facts, and data to persuade. Ethos is about credibility/ethics, and pathos is about emotions. Since the passage relies on statistics (facts) to make a point, the appeal is logos.

Answer:

What type of appeal does the speaker use in this passage? \boxed{logos}
How does this appeal support the author’s purpose? (The answer would relate to using factual data/statistics to persuade, but since the dropdown was for the appeal type, the first answer is logos.)