My students know that I routinely chastise the rhetorical question as an introduction technique. It's right up there with the quote you spent 2 hours googling because it says "just what I meant". Stop. Don't use quotes. Stop starting essays with questions like, "Have you ever felt like you lost total faith in humanity?" One, that' personal. Two, that's a ridiculous question. Of course I have. I just read your rhetorical question.
And don't get me started on what I'm now calling the "rhetorical question of presentations". Here's the thing- if you are a master's or a doctoral student, the Jeopardy game as presentation is off limits. It's a cheap thrill that loses my interest after the first daily double. Yes, teachers probably praised you for being super fun and creative when you've used it in the past, but guess what? That was sixth grade, and the students weren't paying several hundred dollars an hour to sit and listen to it.
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