what is a rhetorical question?

Question

and an example of one? thanks!

Answer 1

A question asked aloud but not with the intention of getting an answer. It is often used to express frustration or confusion, nonetheless.

Answer 2

A rhetorical question implies its own answer; it’s a way of making a point. Examples: “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” “What business is it of yours?” “How did that idiot ever get elected?” “What is so rare as a day in June?” These aren’t questions in the usual sense, but statements in the form of a question.

Many people mistakenly suppose that any nonsensical question, or one which cannot be answered, can be called a rhetorical question. The following are not proper rhetorical questions: “What was the best thing before sliced bread?” “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” “Who let the dogs out?”

Sometimes speakers ask questions so they can then proceed to answer them: “Do we have enough troops to win the war? It all depends on how you define victory.” The speaker is engaging in rhetoric, but the question asked is not a rhetorical question in the technical sense. Instead this is a mock-dialogue, with the speaker taking both roles.

You can also refer to this website.
http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~brians/errors/rhetorical.html

Answer 3

you are asking me what a rhetorical question is?

(that was one!)

its a q you use for 'rhetorical reasons' not expecting an answer (rhetoric being the art of speaking pursuasively)...if you believe in psychology you can hone your public speaking by asking rhetorical questions in groups of three - all with the same yes/no response - seems this is what people like! and then you state what YOU want and people will go along with it. try it! it really works!

and google sophistry if you want some deeper analysis from the ancients.

=)

Answer 4

"A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for rhetorical effect rather than to receive an answer. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to reflect on what the implied answer to the question must be. When a speaker declaims, "How much longer must our people endure this injustice?" or "Will our company grow or shrink?", or "How many times do I have to tell you to stop walking into the house with mud on your shoes?"; no formal answer is expected. Rather, it is a device used by the speaker to assert or deny something. Some language experts consider rhetorical questions to be in fact, grammatical errors when used formally"

-Quote from Wikipedia

Answer 5

A Question posed merely for Effect rather than Answer/ Information, is a Rhetorical Question.

Answer 6

A rhetorical question means a question asked with an understood answer.

For example, you see someone making a mess in your room so you yell "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!". The answer to this question is well understood by both of you but we ask it anyway.

Answer 7

You are not seriously asking me that question?
is an example of a rhetorical question, one that I do not expect a response.

Answer 8

A rhetorical question, in simple terms, describes a question often based on rhetoric that does not necessarily require an answer.

Answer 9

Who would be so stupid as not to know?

(No, its a perfectly reasonable question: A rhetorical question is one where the speaker is not intending anyone to listen - that the question implies or directly states the answer. Its usually a way of making a point.)

Answer 10

A question asked when an answer is not really expected.

For example, if a teenager comes home and tells her mom she just got her belly button pierced, and her mother yells, "What did I just hear? I cannot believe my ears!"

Any teenager with social skills knows that's a rhetorical question. :)

Answer 11

A rhetorical question is where the person asking the question does not want a reply e.g Do I look stupid to you.