Question

Read this passage from "Let’s Give Up on the Constitution" by Louis Michael Seidman. "Why should anyone care? Why should a lame-duck House, 27 members of which were defeated for re-election, have a stranglehold on our economy? Why does a grotesquely malapportioned Senate get to decide the nation’s fate?" What is the intended effect of these rhetorical questions on the audience?

Options:
Option 1: to compel the audience to think about how unfair it is that a very small, underqualified group has the power to make national decisions
Option 2: to embarrass the audience by pointing out how easily people are overpowered by members of the national government
Option 3: to inspire the audience to reevaluate their participation in the political process and become more involved in decisions that affect the entire nation
Option 4: to confuse the audience by asking questions about the political history of members of the national government

Answer 1

The rhetorical questions in Louis Michael Seidman's passage are meant to compel the audience to consider the unfairness of the power distribution within U.S. political systems, particularly addressing the power of lame-duck representatives and the Senate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The intended effect of the rhetorical questions posed in the passage from "Let’s Give Up on the Constitution" is option 1: to compel the audience to think about how unfair it is that a very small, underqualified group has the power to make national decisions. These questions are designed to provoke thought and encourage the audience to consider the current structure and fairness of political power distribution. Louis Michael Seidman uses these questions to challenge the legitimacy of the systems in place, particularly questioning the justification of power held by lame-duck members of the House and the malapportioned Senate, in order to instigate critical thinking and possibly inspire action for change.