Let's compare the last example with an interrogative sentence:
你不是她的哥哥吗?— Aren't you her brother?
The speaker knows that the person he/she is talking to is really her brother. A rhetorical question emphasizes the obviousness of this information.
你是她的哥哥吗?— Are you her brother?
The speaker doesn't know whether the person he/she is talking to is her brother.