Also known as Free-response question 2, the rhetorical analysis presents students with a passage of nonfiction prose of approximately 600 to 800 words. Students are asked to write an essay that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices. This question assesses students’ ability to do the following:

• Respond to the prompt with a thesis that analyzes the writer’s rhetorical choices.

• Select and use evidence to develop and support the line of reasoning.

• Explain the relationship between the evidence and the thesis.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

• Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating the argument.

Sample Question

In 1997, then United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a women’s college in Massachusetts.

Read the passage carefully. Write an essay that analyzes the rhetorical choices Albright makes to convey her message that perseverance can make a difference.