The Art of Rhetoric in Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address — Quiz

Question 6 • Literature and Composition I

Which lines from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address appeal to pathos? Choose two correct answers.

Answer

To do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.

Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.

[A]ll thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it, all sought to avert it.

Explanation

Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions. Choice A emphasizes fear and anxiety about the coming war, while choice C uses emotional language such as “mighty scourge,” “hope,” and “pray” to express a longing for the war to end. These lines most directly stir the audience’s feelings.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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