Writing rhetorical questions is a literary device that professional writers love to hate, but if you’re writing an article for an exam, they can be a very useful tool. You may need to write an article in Cambridge Preliminary (PET) or First (FCE) and in Trinity ISE I, II, or III. Writing an article is a new addition to the Preliminary (PET) exam in 2020, but personally, I think it is a nice option for B1 candidates to show their ability. So why are rhetorical questions a good option for writing articles?
Contents
What is a rhetorical question?
A rhetorical question is a question which is asked for effect and doesn’t need to be answered. Sometimes the answer to rhetorical questions is obvious or sometimes the asker will go on to answer it themselves.
As you can see by the way I used a rhetorical question in the introduction to this blog, they encourage a reader to keep reading. The psychological effect of rhetorical questions can be quite powerful because you can spark interest, intrigue and even controversy if used effectively.
When and how often should you be writing rhetorical questions?
They are a great tool for articles and possibly reviews or letters, but that’s where I would draw the line. A rhetorical question has no place in formal writing, which means avoid them in essays, reports and proposals. Articles are generally neutral or informal in exams, so I think they are a great place to show off a few questions.
Use rhetorical questions sparingly. The best place for them is at the end of your 1st paragraph and in the final paragraph as a way to make the ending interesting. One or two questions throughout the text is more than enough.
The materials: Rhetorical question cards
These rhetorical question cards have sentence stems on them so that you can practice writing questions for different topics that could come up in the exam. Brainstorm a series of topics and then try writing a question for each one.
Possible procedure:
- Cut up question cards and give one set to each pair
- On the board, have a list of six possible article topics (like the example above)
- One student rolls a dice which determines the topic everyone has to write about
- Each pair turns over a question card and writes a rhetorical question related to the topic
- Compare and contrast, correct errors and put the best on the board
- Replace the used topic with a new one
- Rinse and repeat
EXAM PART: Writing Part 2 – Article, Preliminary (PET), FIrst (FCE), ISE I, ISE II, ISE III
EXAM SKILLS: Creating cohesion and maintaining reader’s interest
TIME: 20 minutes
PREPARATION: One set of question cards per pair of students, list of article topics appropriate for the level
