Question

Manuel is preparing for a group discussion about Adichie’s use of rhetorical strategies. Read the excerpt from "The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person. The Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti writes that if you want to dispossess a people, the simplest way to do it is to tell their story and to start with, "secondly.” Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans, and not with the arrival of the British, and you have an entirely different story.

Which question would be best for Manuel to ask about ethos?

How does ethos support Adichie’s purpose?
Does the ethos connect with the audience?
Is ethos more impactful than logos in this passage?
Why does Adichie use ethos rather than pathos?

Answer 1

"How does ethos support Adichie’s purpose?"

This is best because it directly asks the group to analyze how Adichie establishes credibility (e.g., citing Mourid Barghouti, her authority as a storyteller) and how that credibility helps advance her argument about power and single stories. The other options are narrower or assume comparisons (ethos vs. logos/pathos) rather than focusing on ethos itself.