Read the excerpt from a speech by the class president petitioning the principal to build a new stadium. Our stadium is crumbling, and the effects have been felt for generations! If we built a new stadium, our community would benefit, and millions would flock to town for the home games. Profits would soar, as local businesses would be flooded with new clients on game nights. And your legacy as the best principal ever would be established for all to see.

Which rhetorical technique is the speaker using?

appeal

overstatement

parallelism

shift

Which rhetorical technique is the speaker using?

Answer:

B. overstatement

The correct answer is B. Overstatement

Explanation:

Overstatement is a rhetorical technique that occurs when the speaker uses exaggeration to show the importance of one issue. This means the speaker overstates a situation to evoke feelings on the audience and make it accept his ideas. In the excerpt presented, the speaker is using overstatement, because he exaggerates the effects building a new stadium could have as he states "millions would flock to town", "Profits would soar", and "your legacy as the best principal ever would be established" which are all exaggerated suppositions. Thus, the rhetorical technique the speaker is using is overstatement.