Final answer:
The statement is false; ethos refers to an ethical appeal that establishes the credibility of the speaker or writer, not to the evocation of emotions such as pity, which is actually the domain of pathos.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that ethos is the evocation in the audience of pity, tenderness, compassion, or sorrow is false. Ethos actually refers to an appeal to ethics, and it is a rhetorical strategy that establishes the credibility and authority of the speaker or writer. Ethos invokes the speaker's character and qualifications on the topic at hand, making the audience trust their words. In contrast, the evocation of emotions such as pity and compassion is known as pathos, which is a different rhetorical strategy that appeals to the audience's emotions.
To provide an illustration, if a person is speaking about the importance of ethical farming practices and they are a well-respected farmer with years of experience, they are using ethos by presenting themselves as a credible authority on the subject. However, if the same person describes the suffering of animals on non-ethical farms to evoke feelings of pity and encourage support for ethical farming, they are using pathos.