Question 119·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Electric vehicles (EVs) have no tailpipe emissions during operation.
- Manufacturing EV lithium-ion batteries requires mining metals such as lithium and cobalt, which has environmental impacts.
- Several life-cycle analyses indicate that, even accounting for battery production, EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetimes than comparable gasoline-powered cars.
- When charged with electricity from renewable sources, EVs’ total emissions decline even further.
The student wants to craft a balanced claim that acknowledges both an environmental drawback of EVs and their overall advantage. Which choice most effectively synthesizes relevant information from the notes to do so?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by underlining key task words in the question, such as "balanced claim," "drawback," and "overall advantage." Then quickly scan the notes and mark which ones are negative (problems) and which are positive (benefits or big-picture conclusions). Next, eliminate any answer choices that use only one note or only one side (all positive or all negative). The correct choice will usually combine ideas from at least two different notes and clearly reflect the relationship the question asks for (such as contrast, cause–effect, or comparison). Work by matching structure and content to the task, not by picking the nicest-sounding sentence.
Hints
Focus on the word "balanced"
A balanced claim needs to show both a negative and a positive aspect, not just one side. Look for an option that has a contrast word like "although" or a similar structure.
Locate the drawback in the notes
Which bullet point in the notes describes an environmental harm or cost connected to electric vehicles? Keep that specific idea in mind when you read the answer choices.
Locate the overall advantage in the notes
Which bullet point explains how electric vehicles compare to gasoline cars over their entire lifetimes in terms of emissions? Look for an answer that combines that big-picture advantage with the earlier drawback.
Check each answer for both sides
As you read each option, ask: Does it mention an environmental problem with EVs and also an overall benefit? Eliminate choices that only mention a benefit or only a problem.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question asks for a balanced claim that does two things:
- Acknowledges an environmental drawback of electric vehicles (a negative aspect).
- States their overall advantage (a positive, big-picture benefit).
So the correct answer must include both a drawback and an overall advantage, not just one or the other.
Identify the drawback in the notes
Look for the note that mentions a negative environmental impact:
- "Manufacturing EV lithium-ion batteries requires mining metals such as lithium and cobalt, which has environmental impacts."
This tells us the drawback: producing EV batteries (through mining) harms the environment.
Identify the overall advantage in the notes
Now find the note that gives a broad, overall comparison of EVs vs. gasoline cars:
- "Several life-cycle analyses indicate that, even accounting for battery production, EVs emit fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetimes than comparable gasoline-powered cars."
This gives the overall advantage: over their full lifetimes, EVs produce fewer greenhouse gases than gasoline cars, even when you include the environmental cost of making the batteries.
Match the option that includes both ideas
Review the choices and ask:
- Does this choice mention the environmental cost of battery production (the drawback)?
- Does it also say that overall, EVs are better for the climate over their lifetimes (the advantage)?
Only choice B) Although producing their batteries has environmental costs, electric vehicles still generate fewer greenhouse gases over their lifetimes than gasoline-powered cars. clearly includes both the drawback (battery production harms the environment) and the overall advantage (lower lifetime greenhouse-gas emissions), so B is correct.