Question

We need to urge our city planners to say goodbye to the urban sprawl that has engulfed our nation like a tidal wave in the last few decades, and instead build more traditional mixed-use neighborhoods that were once the building blocks of city infrastructure in our nation. As the authors of Suburban Nation wrote: "We shape our cities and then our cities shape us. The choice is ours whether we build subdivisions that debase the human spirit or neighborhoods that nurture sociability and bring out the best in our nature.”
Which rhetorical device does the letter writer use in this paragraph?


A/ allusion

B/ referencing a major claim

C/ referencing a counterargument

D/ repetition

Answer 1

Referencing a major claim.

Answer 2

The author's strongest support for their statement is the reference to a major claim (Option B). In it, the author alludes to the strongest and clearest declaration that agrees with their statement by quoting the authors of Suburban Nation. This is not an allusion because of the direct nature of this reference (allusion = indirect reference). There is no repetition observed in this paragraph, and the author doesn't comment on what the opposing party believes. Therefore, by logic and by elimination, we can conclude that this is an example of a reference to a major claim.