Rhetorical Devices Trivia Quiz

Answer: zeugma

Zeugma is a figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses. In the example given, "caught" applies in one sense to the fish, and in another sense to catching a cold.

Answer: chiasmus

Chiasmus is a reversal of terms in successive phrases or clauses. A good example is John F. Kennedy's famous line from his inaugural speech, in which he told us to "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Another familiar example is, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

We sometimes see implied chiasmus, such as "time wounds all heels", giving the reader credit for knowing that this is a reversal of the saying, "time heals all wounds".

Answer: synecdoche

Synedoche is a figure of speech in which a part of something refers to the whole, or vice versa. In this case, the head represents the entire animal. Related to synedoche is the concept of metonymy, in which a thing is referred to by the name of something closely associated with it. An example of metonymy is, "The White House today announced a new round of tariffs", the term "White House" being a shorthand way of referring to the current presidential administration.

Answer: euphemism

A euphemism is a mild word or phrase used instead of one considered to be too harsh or blunt, as the use of "passed away" instead of "died".

Answer: oxymoron

An oxymoron is the use of contradictory terms in conjunction with each other, as in Shakespeare's "sweet sorrow". Other examples are "deafening silence", "alone in a crowd", "friendly fire", and "open secret".

Answer: portmanteau

In portmanteau, two or more words are joined together to form a new word. The example given contains two such words: "brunch", combining breakfast and lunch, and "spork", combining spoon and fork.

Answer: anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases. It is to be contrasted with epistrophe, in which the repetition occurs at the end of successive phrases. An example of epistrophe is found in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, when he said that "government of the people, for the people, by the people shall not perish from the earth".

Answer: expletive

An expletive is a word or phrase which is not needed to express the meaning of a sentence, as the phrase "in fact" in the example given. Derived from the Latin word for "to fill", expletives are sometimes described as "empty words".

A more subtle, and often criticized, type of expletive is in sentences starting with "it", "there", and "here". For example, the sentence "There are many good quizzes on Funtrivia", would be criticized by English teachers as being too passive and dull. Better would be, "Funtrivia has many good quizzes", using the active voice instead of the passive.

Nowadays we tend to think of an expletive as being a curse word; this meaning of the term was popularized by all the "expletive deleteds" in the Watergate tapes of the 1970s. However, the meaning given above is the original meaning, dating from the seventeenth century, while the use of expletive to refer to a profanity dates only from the nineteenth century.

Answer: litotes

Litotes is an understatement in which the affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary, as in "no laughing matter". It is to be contrasted with hyperbole, which is an exaggeration not meant to be taken literally.

Answer: verbification (or verbing)

Verbification, the creation of a verb from a word which is originally another part of speech, usually a noun, has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. While it is not considered proper in formal writing, it is quite common in informal speech. In the example given, "incentivize" and "fast-tracked" are both verbifications.

One of the most infamous verbifications is the use of "stonewall" as a verb. While the first use of the verb stonewall occurred in the late 1800s to refer to parliamentary obstructionist tactics, the verb was popularized when the Watergate tapes were released in 1974, and Nixon was heard to say, "I want you all to stonewall it, let them plead the fifth amendment, cover-up or anything else, if it'll save it - save the plan." Presidential stonewalling again took place in 2019 when President Trump refused to cooperate with the impeachment investigation initiated by the House of Representatives.