Which of the following sentences would most likely come last in a paragraph?
a.
in about 1611, he retired to his native stratford, died 23 april 1616, and was buried in his parish church.
b.
william shakespeare was born on april 23, 1564 in stratford-on-avon in warwickshire, england.
c.
by the time he was 20, he was beginning to be known as a successful playwright
d.
he wrote a book of 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and upwards of three dozen

A: It shows his death, which would be the end of his life/biography

As read through each of the answers, you are looking for clues as to time lines and/numerical order.  When you think about a life, one usually starts with a birthday.  B is an introduction into the life of Shakespeare telling us when and where he was born.  C tells us of his next accomplishment at 20, and D continues on with his other accomplishments.  Retirement and death is usually the conclusion to one's life and career, so A would be the best choice.

the rhetoric device being used to persuade the audience is pathos.