Question 10·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist and writer.
• Born in Pennsylvania in 1907.
• Her 1962 book Silent Spring warned about the ecological harms of pesticides, including DDT.
• The book is credited with galvanizing the modern environmental movement.
• She wrote in a clear, compelling style that reached general audiences.
The student wants to introduce Carson to an audience unfamiliar with the writer. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions using notes, first restate the task in your own words (here: “introduce this person to someone new”). Then skim the notes and mark which facts are central to that task (identity, main accomplishment, impact) versus minor background details. Eliminate choices that leave out key central ideas, focus on the wrong thing (like only the book, not the person), or overemphasize minor details. Choose the option that most directly and efficiently uses multiple relevant notes to fulfill the specific purpose stated in the question.
Hints
Focus on the purpose
You are not just summarizing a book—you are introducing a person to readers who have never heard of her. Ask: which sentence tells who Rachel Carson is and why she is important?
Prioritize the strongest notes
From the notes, decide which details are most important for a brief introduction: her profession, her famous work, and its impact—or her birthplace and birth year?
Look for a sentence that combines several key ideas
Which choice brings together multiple note points (who she is, what she wrote, what the book did) rather than focusing on only one detail like the book’s content or where she was born?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question asks for a sentence that introduces Rachel Carson to readers who do not know her. A good introduction should:
- Identify who she is (her role or profession)
- Indicate why she is important or well known
- Use the most relevant information from the notes, not every detail.
Identify the most important notes for an introduction
Look at the notes and decide which pieces best answer "Who is she?" and "Why does she matter?"
Key notes:
- "Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist and writer." → tells who she is.
- "Her 1962 book Silent Spring warned about the ecological harms of pesticides, including DDT." → tells what she did.
- "The book is credited with galvanizing the modern environmental movement." → tells why it matters.
- "She wrote in a clear, compelling style that reached general audiences." → adds useful description of her writing.
Less important for a brief introduction:
- "Born in Pennsylvania in 1907." → background detail, but not as central as her work and impact.
Check which answers actually introduce Carson herself
Scan the answer choices and ask: does this sentence clearly introduce Rachel Carson, not just her book or her birthplace?
- Any choice that mainly describes Silent Spring without first saying who Carson is is too focused on the book, not on the person.
- Any choice that only mentions her birth or style, without saying what important work she is known for, is too weak as an introduction.
Check for completeness and relevance
Now see which option:
- Clearly states her role (such as her profession and that she is a writer)
- Names the book Silent Spring and its topic (pesticides)
- Mentions the book’s impact (on the environmental movement)
- Possibly includes her clear and compelling style
The best answer will combine several of these key ideas into one smooth sentence, making it ideal as a first introduction to someone who has never heard of Carson.
Select the sentence that best fits all criteria
Only one choice fully does the job: it identifies Rachel Carson as an American marine biologist and writer, states that she is best known for Silent Spring (1962), describes it as a clear and compelling book that warned of pesticide dangers, and notes that it helped spark the modern environmental movement. This makes choice C the most effective introduction for an unfamiliar audience.