Question 102·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In 1960, Jane Goodall observed wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park using grass stems to extract termites from mounds.
- At the time, many scientists believed that tool use distinguished humans from all other animals.
- Follow-up studies have since documented diverse "tool cultures" among chimpanzee communities across Africa.
- Goodall’s work drew widespread public attention to chimpanzees and their habitats.
- In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization dedicated to chimpanzee research and conservation.
The student wants to make and support a generalization about the overall impact of Goodall’s discovery. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For research-notes synthesis questions, restate the goal (here, a generalization about overall impact), then group the notes into types of effects (scientific shift, later research, public attention, conservation/organization). Choose the option that accurately combines multiple note categories without adding claims the notes don’t support.
Hints
Look for “overall impact”
A good generalization should describe more than one kind of effect (for example, scientific ideas and what happened afterward).
Use the notes as a checklist
Check whether a choice connects the discovery to multiple consequences mentioned in the notes (belief shift, follow-up studies, public attention, conservation/Institute).
Beware subtle distortions
Some choices may sound broad but quietly change what the notes say (for instance, suggesting tool use was rare or limited).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question requires
The student needs a statement about the overall impact of Goodall’s discovery.
So the best choice should (1) make a broad claim about what changed because of the discovery and (2) be supported by multiple notes (not just a single detail).
Match major impacts in the notes
The notes describe several impacts:
- Scientific shift: the discovery challenged the belief that only humans use tools.
- Further research: later studies documented diverse chimpanzee tool cultures across Africa.
- Broader outcomes: Goodall drew public attention and later founded the Jane Goodall Institute for research and conservation.
Select the choice that synthesizes the overall impact
The option that best combines the scientific impact with later research and conservation outcomes is:
Goodall’s discovery undermined claims that only humans use tools and helped spur later research and conservation efforts, including the Jane Goodall Institute.