Question 117·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Ecologist Rachael Winfree and colleagues compared crop yields in over 600 farm fields on four continents.
- Yields were often just as high in fields visited by diverse communities of wild pollinators as in those serviced by managed honeybee hives.
- Farms located near natural habitats experienced the greatest yield increases from wild insects.
- Renting honeybee colonies has become increasingly expensive for farmers.
The student wants to combine the ideas in the notes to argue that supporting wild pollinators can be economically advantageous for farmers. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal using relevant information from the notes?
For rhetorical synthesis questions with notes, first restate the task in your own words (what claim must the sentence support?). Then quickly mark which notes relate directly to that claim, especially focusing on cause–effect or benefit–cost relationships. Evaluate each answer by asking: (1) Does it address the exact goal (here, both wild pollinators and economic advantage)? (2) Does it use the most relevant notes, not just one minor detail? (3) Does it avoid adding new, unsupported information? Eliminate choices that simply restate a single bullet or leave out a key part of the required argument.
Hints
Focus on the goal of the argument
Underline the words in the question that state the goal: the sentence must argue that supporting wild pollinators can be economically advantageous for farmers. Look for a choice that clearly makes both parts of that claim.
Use the most relevant notes
Ask which notes relate to economic benefits. Think about how yield (how much crops produce) and the cost of renting honeybee colonies connect to money gained or saved.
Check how many notes each choice uses
Some choices mainly restate only one bullet (like the study size or one fact about yields). The best choice should bring together several notes to form a complete argument, not just restate a single detail.
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify the task
The question asks for a sentence that argues that supporting wild pollinators can be economically advantageous (money-saving or profit-boosting) for farmers, using the information given in the notes.
So the right answer must:
- Talk about wild pollinators.
- Connect them to economic benefits (like higher yields or lower costs).
- Use relevant details from more than one note, not just repeat a single bullet.
Identify the key ideas in the notes
Go through the notes and ask what each one contributes:
- Note 1: Large, credible study (600+ fields, four continents).
- Note 2: Wild pollinators can produce yields as high as managed honeybee hives.
- Note 3: Farms near natural habitats get the biggest yield increases from wild insects.
- Note 4: Renting honeybee colonies is increasingly expensive.
To argue that supporting wild pollinators is economically advantageous, you especially need:
- Notes about yields (more or equal production = more income).
- The note about high honeybee rental costs (money that could be saved).
Eliminate choices that don’t mention both wild pollinators and money-related ideas
Check each option for two elements: wild pollinators and an economic angle.
- Choice A: Mentions expensive honeybee rentals (economic) but says nothing about wild pollinators or supporting them.
- Choice C: Mentions the researcher and number of fields, but not wild pollinators’ benefits or any economic idea.
- Choice D: Mentions wild pollinators and yields but not costs or economic advantage.
These three each miss a crucial part of the task: either the wild pollinators themselves or the economic argument.
Confirm the choice that combines yield, habitat, and cost into an argument
The remaining choice must:
- Use the note that wild pollinators can boost yields as much as managed hives (Note 2).
- Use the note that this effect is strongest near natural habitats (Note 3).
- Use the note that honeybee rentals are increasingly expensive (Note 4).
- Turn these facts into a claim that supporting wild pollinators can save farmers money.
Choice B does exactly this: it explains that diverse wild insects can raise yields as much as managed hives, emphasizes that this is especially true near natural habitats, and concludes that promoting these wild pollinators could help farmers avoid paying for costly honeybee rentals. This directly supports the idea that supporting wild pollinators can be economically advantageous for farmers, so B is the correct answer.