rhetorical questions in writing essays

[powergirl24]

Hey !

So I've been reading the Manhattan Prep guide for the essays, and they mention including a rhetorical question (no more than one!) to add some style points to essays. I wrote some essays and submitted them to Kaplan's essay grading program, and they gave me points off for using a rhetorical question. Do you know if ETS graders like or dislike a rhetorical question in an essay, if used appropriately?

Thanks!

[1Q84]

The impression I'm getting from other threads and from some guide books is that the graders really don't care a jot for style, which is why often ESL students who understand the mechanics of writing better than a native speaker (who might try to add more flair) sometimes do better.

The Princeton guide suggests putting in a rhetorical question to introduce a topic and their graders didn't take off any points when I put one in my practice test, so I'm not really sure if Kaplan or Princeton are right here but I can't imagine an ETS grader caring enough to take off points for a rhetorical question. They skim through each essay in 2 minutes seeing if it has clear ideas, is a good length and flows well. That's about it, apparently.

[alf10087]

Try only to use the rhetorical question only when you think it'll substantially increase the understanding and quality of your essay. Otherwise, even though it might feel as a good addition it may end up confusing the reader.

Princeton Review's guys say (and it's probably true) that reviewers read every essay for no longer than 2 minutes. Try to write something that is pungent and at the same time easily understandable, so that they'll end up with a good feeling once they read it for a first time.