FRQ 2: The Rhetorical Analysis Essay (College Board AP® English Language & Composition): Revision Note

What is the AP Lang rhetorical analysis essay?

Question 2, the rhetorical analysis essay, asks you to read a nonfiction passage of roughly 600-800 words, and develop an argument about how the writer’s rhetorical choices contribute to an argument, purpose or message. At its core, the task requires you to:

• Understand what the writer is communicating

• Explain how the writer’s choices help communicate it

The prompt also requires you to select evidence, explain how that evidence supports the line of reasoning and demonstrate an understanding of the rhetorical situation.

This essay is worth 6 points.

FRQ 2 is a timed task. The College Board recommends approximately 40 minutes for Question 2. Because there is no separate reading period specifically for FRQ 2, you must manage your reading, planning and composing efficiently within the free-response section.

Understanding the rhetorical analysis prompt

The prompt will always give you background on the rhetorical situation, and then:

Begin with the introductory information before the passage. It may establish important parts of the rhetorical situation, including:

• Writer or speaker

• Audience

• Context

• Exigence

• Occasion

Next, identify the central idea named or suggested by the prompt. Then ask:

• What does the writer ultimately communicate about this idea?

This becomes your initial understanding of the passage’s message or unifying idea.

Establishing the rhetorical situation before you analyze

Many strong rhetorical analysis essays establish the rhetorical situation early, often in the introduction. One useful approach is to integrate the most relevant MSCAPE elements naturally. Remember that MSCAPE stands for Message, Subject, Context, Audience, Purpose and Exigence. 

You do not need to identify every MSCAPE element, label the framework or force all six components into your introduction. However, understanding why the text exists, whom it addresses and what the writer hopes to accomplish puts you in an excellent position to analyze the rhetoric.

For more on MSCAPE and the rhetorical situation, see:

• Introduction to the Rhetorical Situation

The rhetorical analysis essay scoring rubric

FRQ 2 is scored out of 6 points:

For more on earning the sophistication point, see Earning the Sophistication Point.

How to write the rhetorical analysis essay: step-by-step

Remember that this is a timed essay. Your goal is not to discover everything happening in the passage. Identify the rhetorical situation, determine the writer’s larger progression and select the strongest evidence you can explain.

1. Read the prompt and establish the rhetorical situation:

   • The prompt usually gives you the speaker, the occasion and often the audience before you read the passage; use it

   • Underline who is writing or speaking, to whom, when and why

   • Note what the prompt says the writer is trying to do, e.g. "to persuade", "to honor" or "to challenge": this tells you the purpose you must analyze

   • Ask what prompted the text (the exigence) as choices often make most sense as a response to that moment

   • Identify the relevant MSCAPE elements that help explain the writer's choices

   • For more on frameworks for analysis, see Introduction to the Rhetorical Situation

2. Read the passage and identify the unifying message:

   • The message is the idea that holds the whole passage together, not the topic, and your thesis will rest on it

   • Finish the sentence "Ultimately, the writer wants the audience to believe or feel that..."

   • Distinguish topic from message: "climate change" is a topic, but "individual action matters even when climate change feels slow" is a message

   • Check that your message accounts for the whole passage, not just its most memorable line

3. Determine the scope and progression of the passage:

   • Look across the beginning, middle and end

   • Most passages move, e.g. from problem to solution, from praise to challenge, or from the personal to the universal: mapping that movement gives you your structure

   • Divide the passage into two to four stages and label each one with what the writer is doing, e.g. "builds common ground", "raises the stakes" or "calls to action"

   • Mark the turning points, where the tone, focus or strategy shifts

   • Use verbs for your labels, such as "establishes", "concedes", "warns" or "urges", as these describe what the writer is doing for you to analyze

   • For more on annotation, see Unit 9: Annotation & Close Reading Strategies

4. Write a defensible thesis:

   • State the writer's message and how the choices convey it

   • Make a claim about what the writer does and why, not just which devices they use

   • Where it helps, preview the progression, e.g. "Moving from X to Y, the writer..."

   • Keep it to one or two sentences close together

   • Check that it is defensible: you'll need evidence to prove your reading

   • For more on writing a defensible thesis, see How to Write a Defensible Thesis Statement

5. Organize around the writer's rhetorical progression:

   • When appropriate, follow the passage chronologically

   • Each body paragraph should analyze one stage of the writer's progression, not one device

   • Open each paragraph with what the writer is doing at that stage and why, not with the name of a device

6. Select the choices that create each stage:

   • Analyze the most useful diction, examples, syntax, contrasts, repetition, narrative choices or organizational moves

   • For each stage, pick one or two choices that most clearly create its effect

   • Use specific, short quotations

   • Look beyond word choice: how the writer orders examples, where they place a story or when they shift from "I" to "we" are all rhetorical choices

   • For more on rhetorical choices, see Introduction to Rhetorical Choices

7. Develop commentary:

   • Commentary is where most of the marks lie

   • Explain what the evidence accomplishes, why it matters within the rhetorical situation and how it advances both the writer's message and your line of reasoning

   • Tie the effect to this audience in this moment, e.g. why that choice would work on those listeners in that context

   • End each paragraph by connecting back to the writer's message

   • For more on developing commentary, see Establishing a Line of Reasoning & Commentary

8. Check the essay's scope:

   • Make sure your analysis reaches across the passage rather than spending too much time on one section

   • Check that your evidence comes from the beginning, middle and end of the passage

   • If time is short, cover the final stage briefly rather than leaving it out

How to structure your rhetorical analysis essay

There is no required number of paragraphs or single organizational formula for FRQ 2. A successful response generally develops:

• A defensible thesis about the writer’s rhetorical choices

• Supporting analytical claims that establish a line of reasoning 

• Specific textual evidence

• Commentary explaining the function and significance of that evidence

Follow the rhetorical progression of the passage

For many FRQ 2 passages, an especially effective approach is to follow the writer’s rhetorical progression from beginning to end. The College Board specifically recommends exploring how the writer’s message and choices evolve from the beginning to the end of the text and notes that many students successfully used this organizational structure. 

Identify what the writer is accomplishing at different stages. For example:

• Beginning: establishes a problem, perspective, relationship or shared value

• Middle: develops, contrasts, complicates or reframes the idea

• End: broadens the message, resolves a tension or moves the audience toward a conclusion

Each body paragraph can then analyze the particular choices the author uses at that stage. Also, a writer may use several choices together to accomplish one larger rhetorical move.

Analyze the scope of the passage

Strong rhetorical analysis should strive to account for the scope of the passage rather than concentrating heavily on one convenient paragraph or section. 

Look for relationships among the beginning, middle and end:

• Does an early idea acquire a different meaning later? 

• Does the tone change?

• Does a personal experience become a broader argument?

• Does an early contrast prepare for a later conclusion?

• Does the ending refine or extend something established at the beginning?  

Covering the whole passage helps you link your claims into a clear line of reasoning, which is what higher Row B scores reward.

Note: a different organization may occasionally fit a passage better, but chronological rhetorical progression is often an excellent starting point because it follows the writer’s own development of the message.

Language for rhetorical analysis

More precise verbs can help you describe what a choice accomplishes.

Useful rhetorical verbs include:

Choose the verb that accurately describes the writer's move.

Sentence starters for rhetorical commentary

These sentence starters are not formulas that must appear in an essay. They are ways into the analysis when you know what you want to explain but might be unsure how to begin.

The purpose of these starters is to help you enter the rhetorical task. Once you have begun explaining the function of the evidence, allow the commentary to develop naturally rather than repeating the same sentence structures throughout the essay.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between summary and analysis?

Summary explains what the writer says: 

• In her 1873 address, Susan B. Anthony argues that women are citizens and should have voting rights

Analysis explains what a choice accomplishes:

• By asking whether women are “persons,” Anthony forces opponents to accept the premise that enables her constitutional claim about citizenship, making political equality appear to be the logical application of an existing principle rather than a new demand

A useful test is to ask yourself:

• Am I explaining what happens in the passage, or what the writer’s choice accomplishes?  

Do I need to identify every rhetorical device?

No. The College Board’s instructional materials recommend focusing on evidence connected to the passage’s unifying idea, rather than trying to identify every strategy and device. 

Select the choices that best explain the writer’s larger rhetorical progression. 

How much time should I spend on this essay?

The College Board recommends approximately 40 minutes for FRQ 2. Treat that as a limited working window. Read purposefully, establish the rhetorical situation and passage progression and then begin writing. Your goal is a complete, well-reasoned timed analysis, not a perfect essay. 

Key terms and glossary

• Analysis: interpretation that explains the meaning, function or significance of evidence

• Audience: the person or group a writer addresses or seeks to influence

• Commentary: explanation that shows how evidence supports a reason, how the reason supports the thesis and why the evidence matters

• Context: the time, place, occasion and broader circumstances that surround a text

• Defensible thesis: a main claim that responds to the prompt and can be supported with reasoning and evidence

• Evidence: information used to support a claim or reason

• Exigence: the issue, event, problem or situation that prompts a writer to create a text

• Line of reasoning: the logical progression of reasons, evidence and commentary that explains how the thesis is supported

• Message: the central idea a writer communicates

• MSCAPE: the rhetorical situation tool that considers Message, Subject, Context, Audience, Purpose and Exigence

• Purpose: what a writer hopes to accomplish

• Rhetorical analysis: analysis of how a writer or speaker uses rhetorical choices to achieve a purpose for a particular audience

• Rhetorical choice: a decision a writer makes to influence an audience and achieve a purpose

• Rhetorical move: a larger action a writer performs, such as contrasting, reframing or qualifying, often created by several specific choices working together

• Rhetorical progression: the way a writer's message and choices develop from the beginning of a text to the end

• Rhetorical situation: the circumstances that shape a text, including the exigence, audience, writer, purpose, context and message

• Scoring rubric: the six-point guide used to score each free-response essay, divided into Row A (thesis), Row B (evidence and commentary) and Row C (sophistication)

• SOAPSTONE: a rhetorical analysis framework that considers Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject and Tone

• Sophistication: the Row C rubric point, earned by demonstrating sophistication of thought or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation

• SPACE CAT: a rhetorical analysis framework that helps students identify the rhetorical situation and analyze choices, appeals and tone

• Summary: a condensed statement of a source's main ideas

• Tone: the writer's attitude toward the subject, audience or situation