Question

read this excerpt from the declaration of independence: he is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. which of these rhetorical devices is most clearly used in the underlined portion of the text? a. pathos b. ethos c. deductive logic d. text structure

Explanation:

To determine the rhetorical device, we analyze each option:

• Option A (Pathos): Pathos appeals to emotions. The underlined text uses words like "death," "desolation," "tyranny," "Cruelty," and "perfidy" to evoke strong negative emotions (anger, outrage) about the actions described.
• Option B (Ethos): Ethos focuses on credibility/ethics of the speaker, which is not the focus here.
• Option C (Deductive logic): Deductive logic involves reasoning from general to specific, not emotional appeal, so this is irrelevant.
• Option D (Text structure): Text structure refers to how a text is organized (e.g., cause-effect), not a rhetorical device for persuasion, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. Pathos