Ohio 7th Grade English Language Arts (ELA) OST Practice Test

Rhetorical questions are asked for effect, to make a point or emphasize something rather than to obtain information. The line “Who among us hasn’t made a mistake?” uses a question form to imply a universal truth—that making mistakes is common—so no real answer is needed. It’s a device to persuade or connect with the audience by highlighting shared experience. In contrast, the other lines serve different functions: one asks about a future action and invites an actual reply; another is a direct command asking someone to explain their reasoning; and the last is a straightforward statement about data, not a question. So the line that best identifies a rhetorical question is the one that uses questioning form to make a point about a common human experience, rather than to seek information.