Question

Read the passage.excerpt from "Remarks on East-West Relations at Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin" by Ronald ReganWhere four decades ago there was rubble, today in West Berlin there is the greatest industrial output of any city in Germany: busy office blocks, fine homes and apartments, proud avenues, and the spreading lawns of parkland. Where a city's culture seemed to have been destroyed, today there are two great universities, orchestras and an opera, countless theaters, and museums.Which statement best describes how the use of rhetoric affects the speech?
1. By creating a contrast between the past and present of West Berlin, the speaker emphasizes his viewpoint.2. The vivid imagery of a city of rubble creates a somber and reflective tone.3. In describing Berlin’s rise from destruction, the speaker creates a sense of hope for all war-torn countries.4. Past references provide relevant and sufficient evidence to prove the speaker’s claim.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is number 1. By creating a contrast between the past and present of West Berlin, the speaker emphasizes his viewpoint.

Explanation:

In the passage we are analyzing here, the speaker is conveying the idea that West Berlin has risen from the ashes, going from a destroyed post-War city to a rebuilt and thriving place. To do so, the speaker uses parallelism when comparing the past and the present -- "where..., today..." -- as well as examples that support his point -- office blocks, fine homes, universities, orchestras etc. By contrasting both stages, past and present, of Berlin with parallelism, the speaker emphasizes his point of view.