In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through

Question

In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through the immediate persuasion of the spoken word. Whether it be addressing an assembly, a law-court or a more restricted body, his oratory would be a public affair rather than under the purview of a quiet committee, without the support of circulated commentary, and with no backcloth of daily reportage to make his own or others‘ views familiar to his hearers. The oratory's immediate effect was all-important; it would be naive to expect that mere reasonableness or an inherently good case would equate to a satisfactory appeal. Therefore, it was early realized that persuasion was an art, up to a point teachable, and a variety of specific pedagogy was well established in the second half of the fifth century. When the sophists claimed to teach their pupils how to succeed in public life, rhetoric was a large part of what they meant, though, to do them justice, it was not the whole.

Skill naturally bred mistrust. If a man of good will had need of expression advanced of mere twaddle, to learn how to expound his contention effectively, the truculent or pugnacious could be taught to dress their case in well-seeming guise. It was a standing charge against the sophists that they ‘made the worse appear the better cause,‘ and it was this immoral lesson which the hero of Aristophanes‘ Clouds went to learn from, of all people, Socrates. Again, the charge is often made in court that the opponent is an adroit orator and the jury must be circumspect so as not to let him delude them. From the frequency with which this crops up, it is patent that the accusation of cleverness might damage a man. In Greece, juries, of course, were familiar with the style, and would recognize the more evident artifices, but it was worth a litigant‘s while to get his speech written for him by an expert. Persuasive oratory was certainly one of the pressures that would be effective in an Athenian law-court.

A more insidious danger was the inevitable desire to display this art as an art. It is not easy to define the point at which a legitimate concern with style shades off into preoccupation with manner at the expense of matter, but it is easy to perceive that many Greek writers of the fourth and later centuries passed that danger point. The most influential was Isocrates, who polished for long years his pamphlets, written in the form of speeches, and taught to many pupils the smooth and easy periods he had perfected. Isocrates took to the written word in compensation for his inadequacy in live oratory; the tough and nervous tones of a Demosthenes were far removed from his, though they, too, were based on study and practice. The exaltation of virtuosity did palpable harm. The balance was always delicate, between style as a vehicle and style as an end in itself.

We must not try to pinpoint a specific moment when it, once and for all, tipped over; but certainly, as time went on, virtuosity weighed heavier. While Greek freedom lasted, and it mattered what course of action a Greek city decided to take, rhetoric was a necessary preparation for public life, whatever its side effects. It had been a source of strength for Greek civilization that its problems, of all kinds, were thrashed out very much in public. The shallowness which the study of rhetoric might (not must) encourage was the corresponding weakness.   1 
 1. If the author of the passage travelled to a political convention and saw various candidates speak he would most likely have the highest regard for an orator who:

A. roused his hearers to immediate and decisive action.
B. understood that rhetoric serves an aesthetic as well as a practical purpose.
C. relied on facts and reason rather than on rhetorical devices in making his case.
D. passed on the techniques he had perfected to many students.
E. made use of flowery and inflated words

2 
 2. Historians agree that those seeking public office in modern America make far fewer speeches in the course of their campaign than those seeking a public position in ancient Greece did. The author would most likely explain this by pointing out that:

A. speeches are now only of limited use in the abrupt vicissitudes of politics.
B. modern politicians need not rely exclusively on speeches to make themselves known.
C. modern audiences are easier to persuade through rhetoric than were the Greek audiences.
D. modern politicians do not make a study of rhetoric as did the Greeks.
E. modern America is not much different from ancient Greece

3 
 3. Implicit in the statement that the exaltation of virtuosity was not due mainly to Isocrates because public display was normal in a world that talked far more than it read is the assumption that:

A. Isocrates was actually concerned as much with the content of his speeches as with their style.
B. excessive concern with style is bound to arise in a world dominated by public display.
C. the Greeks were guilty of exalting virtuosity in their public art and architecture as well.
D. Isocrates was less influential than previous historians estimated.
E. there should be no connection between communication style and public display of thoughts

Sajjad1994 · Accepted Answer

Official Explanation

Topic and Scope

A discussion of drawbacks of the rhetorical skill that the public nature of Greek life made necessary, especially style over content.

Mapping the Passage

Para 1  introduces the importance of rhetoric in Greek life and the fact that it was taught.
 Para 2  explains why rhetorical skill was sometimes mistrusted, but still sought after.
 Para 3  states that as rhetoric (in writing and speech) became more of an art, its original purpose was corrupted.
 Para 4  states that the Greek system required rhetorical skills and therefore inherited rhetoric's drawbacks as well.

1. If the author of the passage travelled to a political convention and saw various candidates speak he would most likely have the highest regard for an orator who:

Explanation

What is the author‘s main argument about oratory? It was necessary for the Greeks, but became a  "weakness"  when they focused too much on making it artistic  (Paras 3 and 4) . Therefore the author would admire an orator who didn't sacrifice the facts and reason to too much rhetoric.  (C)  keeps the good parts of rhetoric while leaving out the artistic flourishes the author dislikes.

(A): Opposite.  The author states in  Para 1  that ―the immediate effect was all important‖ and that this was achieved by focusing on the artistic aspects of rhetoric, which the author considers "shallow."

(B): Opposite.  The author uses  Para 3  to attack the overemphasis on the artistic (aesthetic) side.

(C): The correct answer

(D): Opposite.  This also emphasizes technique and style over the speech itself.

(E): Opposite.  This also emphasizes technique and style over the speech itself.

2. Historians agree that those seeking public office in modern America make far fewer speeches in the course of their campaign than those seeking a public position in ancient Greece did. The author would most likely explain this by pointing out that:

Explanation

An application question. What would the author consider a main difference between ancient Greece and modern America? The opening lines mention that a Greek citizen had to rely on the spoken rather than the written word, and had  "no backcloth of daily reportage to make his own or others‘ views familiar to his hearers"  as modern culture has. Therefore fewer speeches are needed nowadays, as  (B) states.

(A): Faulty Use of Detail.  This answer choice tries to trick you with a familiar phrase. The author uses it in para 3, but only to speak of Isocrates, not about speeches in general. When phrases sound familiar, look for them in context to see if they apply.

(B): The correct answer

(C): Out of Scope.  There‘s no discussion of modern audiences in the passage and if this was the case, politicians would probably focus on rhetoric to increase persuasion.

(D): Out of Scope.  There‘s no indication in the passage that this is true either.

(E): Out of scope.  Such a comparison would be irrelevant.

3. Implicit in the statement that the exaltation of virtuosity was not due mainly to Isocrates because public display was normal in a world that talked far more than it read is the assumption that:

Explanation

Make sure that you untangle tough questions, paraphrasing what‘s being asked, before trying to answer them. What paragraph is being discussed? Para 3, the argument that the art of rhetoric became too important. The question stem just says that this happened because the culture was concerned with public display. Assumptions bridge gaps in reasoning. Here, it would connect art and public display. Only  (B) and (C)  deal with both of these concepts. If  (B)  is true, we have a valid explanation for why art became so important in this particular culture. If it‘s not true, there‘s no reason why they should be connected, and the author‘s argument falls apart.  (B)  has to be a valid assumption.

(A): Opposite.  We‘re concerned less with Isocrates than with the Greek public, and also the choice says exactly the opposite of what we know about Isocrates from the passage anyhow.

(B): The correct answer

(C): Distortion.  While it‘s got all the right keywords, the choice uses art in a completely different context, talking about physical works of art rather than the style of art.

(D): Out of Scope.  This might explain why Isocrates wasn‘t influential, but does nothing to explain the bigger half of the question: why was the culture so influential in the tendency to focus on style?

(E): Incorrect , as described above.

Hope it helps

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In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through

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In public Greek life, a man had to make his way at every step through

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