MIDTERM TEST – 90 minutes, Open book

I. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

A human skeleton was found near the river late last 1. What is the argument in the
month by a senior couple walking by their dog. They above message structured of?
believe it was a murder caused by a troublesome local P1……………………………
family. The police interviewed the family but ruled …
out their involvement. The bones are believed to be ………………………………
several hundred years old. Historians confirm that the …
river Marle passes close to ancient burial grounds and P6……………………………
that there are records of other bodies being carried …
away by the river the distant past. This was the first ………………………………
for over 150 years. Recent storms have caused the …
river to rise by half a metre. It is probable that the C……………………………
skeleton was dislodged from its resting place by the …
river rather than murdered by the local family. ………………………………
…

B. Tôi sống hai cuộc đời. Cuộc đời thực đôi khi tẻ 1. What is the argument in the
nhạt và một cuộc đời ảo sinh động trên Facebook. (1) above message structured of?
Facebook cũng cho tôi một thế giới gần như trong P…………………………
phim “Ma trận” (2). Mùi vị của một bữa ăn đôi khi C…………………………
không quan trọng bằng thưởng thức những comment 2. What rhetorical devices are
về ảnh món ăn mà tôi đăng lên "tường". Tận hưởng used for the underlined and
một chuyến du lịch không quan trọng bằng những numbered sentences and
trầm trồ xuýt xoa của bạn bè dưới những bức ảnh của phrases?
chuyến đi. 1…………………………
Chúng ta sẵn sàng đánh đổi cuộc đời thực để chìm 2…………………………
đắm trong cuộc đời ảo kia chăng? (3) 3…………………………
Có lẽ đã đến lúc phải thức tỉnh.
 (Adapted from vnexpress.net)

II. Multiple choice questions

1. Choose the best fallacy, if there is one, for the following:
I’m against this project. It won’t solve everything, you know?
A. perfectionist B. guilt trip C. relativism D. argument by force
2. Choose the best fallacy, if there is one, for the following:
Husband: Well, I think we can afford this car.
Wife: Why?
Husband: Because it’s within our means.
A. no fallacy B. apple polishing C. common practice D. begging the question
3. Identify which of the items that follows best states the primary issue discussed in
the passage:
"Most people you find on university falcuties are people who are interested in ideas. And
the most interesting ideas are usually new ideas. So most people you find on university
faculties are intetested in new ideas. Therefore you are not going to find many
conservatives are not usually interested in new ideas."
A. whether conservatives are interested in new ideas.
B. Whether you’ll find many conservatives on university faculties.
C. Whether people in university faculties are interested more in new ideas than in
other ideas.
D. Whether most people are correct.
4. Is the second speaker addressing the issue raised by the first person?
YAO: Nice thing about an iMAC. It never gets viruses.
MAO: Of course, you would say that, you own one.
A. Yes B. No
5. Choose the best fallacy, if there is one, for the following:
There’s no unemployment in this city. I had no problem finding a job.
A. hasty generalisation B. post hoc
C. mistaken appeal to popularity D. weak analogy
6. What kind of argument is it?
A book is like a mirror. If an ape looks in, a saint won’t look out.
A. reasoning from analogy B. generalizing from a sample
B. causal reasoning C. none of the above
7. What kind of argument is it?
It’s easy to use an Iphone. It’s got to be easy to use an Ipad. Apple makes both.
A. inductive argument B. deductive argument
8. What kind of argument is it?
You asked her to read all those books in only one month? No doubt, she gets more near-
sighted.
A. reasoning from analogy B. generalizing from a sample
B. causal reasoning C. none of the above
9. “It follows that…” is an indicator of which argument?
A. inductive argument B. deductive argument
10. Choose the best rhetorical device, if there is one, for the following:
“Nhà thiết kế Đức Hùng nêu rõ quan điểm của mình về áo dài cách tân: “Xin hãy buông
tha cho tà áo dài” (24h.com)
A. dysphemism B. proof surrogate C. apple polishing D. euphemism

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

III. Express yourself

“Beware of dangers from social media.”
Use three or more different rhetorical devices to restate this comment. You cannot use the
same device more than once for credit. Underline and give a side remark on what devices
are used. You can extend the sentence into a passage of around 100 words if you want.