Question 100·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In 2021, the Maple County Library launched a mobile library van.
- The van visits 18 rural communities each week.
- The collection includes 2,500 books and 300 audiobooks.
- After six months, monthly checkouts in the visited communities increased by 40%.
- Local donors contributed $18,000 to outfit the van.
- Volunteers from the communities staff the van on weekends.
The student wants to emphasize the program’s effect on borrowing. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For “use the notes” questions in the Expression of Ideas domain, start by restating the specific goal (for example, “effect on borrowing” means you need a result or change in checkouts). Then scan the notes for the one bullet that directly addresses that goal, ignoring details that are just background (how many, how much, who, where) but don’t show an effect. Finally, pick the answer that accurately restates that relevant note without adding new ideas or shifting the focus.
Hints
Focus on the exact goal
Underline the phrase “effect on borrowing” in the question. Ask yourself: what kind of information would show an effect or result, rather than just describing the van?
Scan the notes for a result or change
In the bullet points, look for any information that tells you how borrowing or checkouts changed after the mobile library van started visiting communities.
Match that idea, not just any detail
Once you find the note about checkouts, choose the answer that uses that same idea. Be careful not to pick an option just because it has numbers or sounds impressive; it must specifically show the program’s effect on borrowing.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the writing goal
The prompt says the student wants to emphasize the program’s effect on borrowing.
Rephrase this: we need a fact that shows what changed in borrowing because of the program—some result or impact, not just a description of the van.
Find the note that shows a change in borrowing
Look through the notes and ask: Which bullet shows what happened to borrowing after the van started operating?
The key idea is borrowing, which is the same as checkouts. One note says that monthly checkouts in the visited communities increased by 40% after six months. This directly shows an effect or result.
Ignore details that are not about results
Other notes give background or setup information:
- How many communities the van visits
- How many books and audiobooks it carries
- How much money donors gave
- Who staffs the van
These are all about what the program is like, not what it caused to happen (its effect on borrowing). So none of them match the stated goal.
Match the correct note to an answer choice
Now match the key note about borrowing—monthly checkouts increasing by 40%—to the answer choices.
Choice D, “In the communities the van visits, monthly checkouts rose by 40% within six months,” restates that note and directly shows the program’s effect on borrowing, so D is correct.