Rhetorical Synthesis
What this skill is
Rhetorical Synthesis questions show a bulleted list of a student's research notes, then state a goal: "The student wants to emphasize..." or "...to introduce X to an audience unfamiliar with it." You pick the sentence that "most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal." Every choice is accurate to the notes. Only one does what the goal asks.
Key ideas
- The goal is everything. The notes are just a pool of facts; the goal tells you which facts matter.
- Read the goal before the notes. Often you can answer without reading the notes closely.
- All four choices are usually true. Don't eliminate for accuracy. Eliminate for not meeting the goal.
- Watch each part of a multi-part goal: "explain how they differ while also noting what they have in common" needs both a difference and a similarity.
- Audience matters. For an audience unfamiliar with a topic, the sentence should say what the thing is. For an audience that already knows it, a definition is unnecessary.
Formulas and rules
| Goal word | The correct sentence must... |
|---|---|
| emphasize a size / amount / extent | include the specific number or scale |
| explain why / the significance | include a reason ("because," "so that," "which allows") |
| compare / contrast / differ | mention both items and how they relate |
| similarity | state something true of both |
| introduce to an unfamiliar audience | name it and say what it is |
| present a study / its findings | include the researchers' method or result as asked |
Rule: turn the goal into a checklist, then check each choice against it.
Worked example 1 (easy)
- The Kessler Bridge crosses the Tamar River.
- It opened in 1932.
- It is 1,850 meters long.
- It was the longest bridge in the region when it opened.
The student wants to emphasize the length of the Kessler Bridge. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) The Kessler Bridge, which crosses the Tamar River, opened in 1932. B) At 1,850 meters, the Kessler Bridge was the longest bridge in the region when it opened. C) The Kessler Bridge opened in 1932 and crosses the Tamar River. D) In 1932, a new bridge opened over the Tamar River.
Checklist: mentions length, ideally with emphasis.
- A, C, and D are true but never mention length.
- B gives the number and stresses it ("longest in the region"). Answer: B.
Worked example 2 (SAT-level)
- Saffron and turmeric are both spices used to color food yellow.
- Saffron comes from the dried stigmas of a crocus flower.
- Turmeric comes from the dried root of a plant in the ginger family.
- Saffron is far more expensive because each flower yields only three stigmas, which are picked by hand.
The student wants to contrast the sources of the two spices. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
A) Saffron and turmeric are both used to give food a yellow color. B) Saffron is expensive because its stigmas must be picked by hand. C) While saffron comes from the dried stigmas of a crocus flower, turmeric comes from the dried root of a ginger-family plant. D) Turmeric, a spice made from a dried root, is a member of the ginger family.
Checklist: (1) both spices, (2) their sources, (3) a contrast.
- A gives a similarity, not a contrast.
- B mentions only saffron, and it is about price.
- D mentions only turmeric.
- C names both sources and contrasts them with "While." Answer: C.
Common traps
- Choosing the most detailed sentence. More facts is not better; the right facts are.
- True but off-goal. This is the main trap. Every wrong choice is accurate to the notes.
- One-sided comparisons. A contrast goal needs both items in the sentence.
- Missing half of a two-part goal. "Difference and similarity" requires both.
- Ignoring the audience. If the reader is unfamiliar, a choice that uses a term without explaining it fails.