Question 111·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In a 2021 randomized trial across eight university cafeterias in the United Kingdom, menu items labeled with a large red "high carbon" icon experienced a 25% decrease in sales compared with identical items that carried no label.
- Prices remained unchanged during the trial; the label was the only difference between the treatment and control items.
- A follow-up questionnaire showed that 70% of customers reported the label had at least "some" influence on their purchasing decisions.
- In a separate experiment, imposing a 10 pence surcharge on high-carbon items but offering no label produced an 8% decrease in sales.
The student is drafting an essay arguing that informational cues can alter consumer behavior more effectively than small price changes. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to support this argument?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, restate the writer’s goal precisely (here, “show labels change behavior more than small price changes”). Then choose the option that uses the most direct, relevant notes—especially a clear numerical comparison—without adding claims the notes don’t support (like policy recommendations or absolute statements).
Hints
Focus on the task
Underline the claim in the question: the student wants to argue that informational cues change behavior more effectively than small price changes. Which notes directly compare information to price?
Use the numbers in the notes
Look carefully at the percentages: there is a 25% decrease in one case and an 8% decrease in another. What caused each change, and how can that comparison support the student’s argument?
Watch out for overstatements
Be cautious with answer choices that say things like “proving” or make absolute claims (for example, about consumers always ignoring cost). Do the notes actually go that far?
Check for reversed comparisons
Make sure the answer doesn’t accidentally suggest that price changes were more effective than labels, when the notes show the opposite.
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify the writer’s goal
The student’s claim is that informational cues can change consumer behavior more effectively than small price changes.
So the best sentence must use the notes to compare the effect of labels (information) with the effect of a small surcharge (price).
Pull the key comparative evidence from the notes
Two notes give directly comparable outcomes:
- Label (information) only: 25% decrease in sales, with prices unchanged.
- Price change only: 10 pence surcharge led to an 8% decrease in sales (with no label).
Evaluate which option best matches the goal
The best option should:
- Accurately report both results (25% and 8%)
- Make clear that one condition changed information and the other changed price
- Use the comparison to support “information is more effective than small price changes,” without overreaching
Choose the option that makes the clearest, accurate comparison
A 2021 UK cafeteria trial found that high-carbon labels cut sales 25% with no price change, while a 10 pence surcharge without labels cut sales only 8%, showing information can outperform small price increases.