Persuasive Language Devices: Rhetorical Questions, Rule of Three and More — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 9 persuasive writing worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 9 · English · Persuasive WritingPersuasive Language Devices: Rhetorical Questions, Rule of Three and More — Answers
Part A: The toolkit
Persuasive writers choose words and structures that move their audience to agree and to act.
- rhetorical question
- inclusive language
- emotive language
- rule of three
- expert opinion
- call to action
- the view of someone with special knowledge
- a list of three for rhythm and emphasis
- we, us and our, used to make the audience feel part of a group
- telling the audience exactly what to do next
- a question asked for effect, not for an answer
- words chosen to stir strong feelings
Answer: rhetorical question → a question asked for effect, not for an answer; inclusive language → we, us and our, used to make the audience feel part of a group; emotive language → words chosen to stir strong feelings; rule of three → a list of three for rhythm and emphasis; expert opinion → the view of someone with special knowledge; call to action → telling the audience exactly what to do next
Part B: Devices in action
Read the model speech, then answer the questions.
Give Us Back Our Lunchtime (original model speech)
How many of you ate lunch today with one hand while finishing homework with the other? Look around. Nearly every hand in this room is up.
Our lunch break has shrunk from forty-five minutes to thirty, and we are paying the price. A survey of two hundred students at this school found that 68 percent feel more tired in afternoon classes than they did last year. A school psychologist told our student council that a proper break is not a luxury; it is when the brain resets.
Thirty minutes is barely enough time to line up, eat and walk back to class. It leaves no time to play, to talk or to simply breathe. We are not machines. We are young people who need a moment to rest.
Some will say that a shorter lunch means an earlier finish. But what good is an earlier finish if we spend the last hour of every day staring at the clock, too exhausted to learn anything?
Together, we can change this. Sign the petition at the library desk this week. Give us back our lunchtime, and we will give you our best work in return.
- Aa statistic
- Ba rhetorical question
- Cexpert opinion
- Da call to action
Answer: a rhetorical question
The speaker does not expect a spoken answer; the question makes the audience think about their own experience.
- Aa statistic
- Bhyperbole
- Cinclusive language
- Drepetition
Answer: a statistic
A number from a survey makes the claim sound measured and reliable.
- Aexpert opinion
- Bthe rule of three
- Ca rhetorical question
- Da counter-argument
Answer: the rule of three
Three parallel items create rhythm and make the loss feel bigger.
- AWe are not machines.
- BThirty minutes is barely enough time to line up, eat and walk back to class.
- CSign the petition at the library desk this week.
- DLook around.
Answer: Sign the petition at the library desk this week.
It tells the audience exactly what to do and when.
- Aignores the other side
- Braises an opposing view and then answers it
- Cgives a second statistic
- Dchanges topic
Answer: raises an opposing view and then answers it
The speaker states the claim about an earlier finish and rebuts it with a rhetorical question.
Answer: "Together, we can change this." The words together and we make the audience feel they share the problem and the solution, so they are more likely to act.
Answer: "A school psychologist told our student council that a proper break is not a luxury". A psychologist has professional knowledge of student wellbeing, so the claim seems more credible than a student's opinion alone.
Answer: It repeats the title for emphasis and offers a fair exchange, which makes the request seem reasonable and ends the speech on a memorable, balanced line.
Part C: Make it persuasive
Each sentence is accurate but flat. Rewrite it using the device shown.
Answer: Why should a library full of books sit locked and empty at lunch when students are eager to use it?
- Any question that makes the answer feel obvious is acceptable.
Answer: Our once-beautiful park is now choked with litter and broken glass.
- Words such as choked and once-beautiful stir feelings.
Answer: A new bike path would make our town healthier, safer and greener.
- Three parallel benefits.
Answer: Each of us can make a difference: let's start sorting our recycling at home this week.
- Inclusive us and let's, plus a specific action and time.
Part D: Your turn
Model answer: Imagine sitting down to a meal you cooked yourself: fresh, cheap and exactly how you like it. Sadly, many of us will leave school without ever having that experience. A recent study found that fewer than half of teenagers can prepare a simple meal from raw ingredients. Nutrition experts warn that people who cannot cook are far more likely to rely on expensive, unhealthy fast food. Cooking is not a hobby for a few; it is a life skill for everyone. It saves money, it protects our health and it brings families together. Some argue that the timetable is already full. But what is more important than knowing how to feed yourself? We learn to solve equations we may never use again, yet we are not taught to boil an egg. Let's change that. Talk to your class representative this week and ask for a cooking program to be added next year.
Success criteria:
- Clear position on the chosen topic, stated early
- At least five different devices used accurately and named in the margin
- Devices support the argument rather than replacing reasons and evidence
- Acknowledges and answers an opposing view
- Ends with a specific call to action
- Fluent sentences, accurate spelling and punctuation
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: