ACT Reading: Identify Persuasive Techniques and Rhetorical Strategies

Rhetoric uses three appeals to persuade: (1) Ethos (credibility/authority): Author establishes themselves as trustworthy or expert. "As a cardiologist for 20 years..." (2) Pathos (emotion): Author evokes feeling to connect with audience. "Imagine losing your child to a preventable disease..." (3) Logos (logic/evidence): Author uses data, statistics, or reasoning. "Studies show 85% of users prefer..." Identifying which appeal dominates a passage lets you answer "How does the author convince?" questions instantly.

Example: A passage argues for renewable energy. Ethos: "Scientists agree..." Pathos: "Our children's future depends on..." Logos: "Solar costs have dropped 60% since 2010." A strong persuasive passage uses all three, but one usually dominates. If the passage opens with personal experience and emotional language, pathos dominates. If it cites data and studies, logos dominates. If it highlights the author's credentials, ethos dominates.

Trap 1: Confusing the strategy the author uses with the author's personal opinion. An author might present opposing viewpoints to refute them (logos strategy), not to endorse them. Trap 2: Missing subtle rhetorical moves. A question asks "What does the author accomplish by including this quotation?" The answer is often a strategic choice: to strengthen credibility (ethos), to illustrate emotion (pathos), or to provide evidence (logos). Trap 3: Assuming the strongest emotion automatically signals the main point. A passage might use emotional language in an introduction but build a logical argument for the main claim. Trap 4: Not recognizing rhetorical questions. "Can we really afford to ignore climate change?" is not a question seeking an answer; it is a rhetorical device implying "no." Always ask: What purpose does this technique serve in the author's argument?

Example: A passage includes a quote: "I watched my city flood." Why? This establishes the author's personal stake (ethos) and creates emotional connection (pathos). Both purposes matter; the answer likely names both.

Find three ACT Reading persuasive passages (essays, opinion pieces, editorials). For each passage, (1) identify the main argument, (2) highlight 2-3 instances of ethos, pathos, and logos, (3) determine which appeal the author relies on most, (4) answer all persuasion questions by referencing your highlighted examples. Repeat this with three passages; you will develop an ear for rhetorical moves and how they serve the author's goal.

Record: Did highlighting appeals help you answer questions faster? If you missed any persuasion questions, ask: "Did I correctly identify the appeal being used?" or "Did I confuse the strategy with the author's personal view?" Repeat until persuasion accuracy reaches 85%+.

ACT Reading includes 1-2 rhetorical strategy questions per test, and they reward precise identification of author technique. Mastering the three appeals and their purposes lets you approach these questions with confidence, converting them from confusing to answerable and earning 1-2 points per test.

This week, read one persuasive article and annotate the ethos, pathos, and logos. Notice how the author layers appeals to build a stronger argument. This awareness transfers directly to test day.