Question

\barbara jordan remarks on impeachment, july, 1974\ by barbara jordan today i am an inquisitor. an hyperbole would not be fictional and would not overstate the solemnness that i feel right now. my faith in the constitution is whole; it is complete; it is total. and i am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the constitution. rep. barbara jordans remarks on impeachment during watergate use the passage to answer the question. what effect does the author’s use of repetition have on her argument? (1 point) ∘ it weakens the author’s argument. ∘ it makes the argument more powerful. ∘ it leaves the author’s intentions ambiguous. ∘ it adds humor and lightheartedness.

Explanation:

In Barbara Jordan's remarks, repetition like "It is whole; It is complete; It is total" and the listing of "diminution, the subversion, the destruction" is used. Repetition in rhetoric is often used to emphasize a point, reinforce an idea, and make the argument more forceful by driving home the author's conviction (like her faith in the Constitution and opposition to its harm). Weakening the argument is incorrect as repetition strengthens. Ambiguity is not created by this purposeful repetition, and the tone is solemn, not humorous. So the repetition makes the argument more powerful.

Answer:

B. It makes the argument more powerful.