Question 12·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While preparing to write a report, a student compiled the following notes:
- Biologists Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider conducted pioneering research on chromosome ends (telomeres).
- Blackburn hypothesized that progressive telomere shortening could limit a cell’s capacity to divide, influencing aging.
- Greider, then a graduate student in Blackburn’s lab, isolated the enzyme telomerase in single-celled organisms (Tetrahymena), showing how cells rebuild telomeres.
- Greider’s experiments furnished direct evidence that telomerase actively lengthens telomeres.
- Blackburn and Greider later shared a Nobel Prize for their telomere research.
The student’s assignment is to explain how the two scientists’ contributions complemented each other. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to fulfill this purpose?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by underlining the task words (here, “explain how the two scientists’ contributions complemented each other”). Then briefly restate, from the notes, what each person did in your own words. Look for an answer that (1) mentions both people, (2) uses the key actions or findings from the notes, and (3) clearly shows a relationship—such as one proposing an idea and the other providing evidence. Eliminate choices that only share background (awards, settings, organisms, career status) without expressing that logical connection between their contributions.
Hints
Focus on the assignment, not just the notes
The question isn’t asking for any fact about Blackburn and Greider—it specifically asks how their contributions complemented each other. Make sure the option you choose does more than identify who they were or what they studied.
Summarize each scientist’s role
From the notes, what did Blackburn do or suggest? What did Greider’s experiments show or discover? Think in terms of an idea on one side and results or evidence on the other.
Check how the two roles are linked in each option
Look for a choice that clearly shows a connection between Blackburn’s and Greider’s work, not just two separate facts. Avoid answers that focus mainly on prizes, organisms, or career positions without explaining a scientific relationship between their contributions.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task in the question
The prompt says the student’s assignment is to explain how the two scientists’ contributions complemented each other. That means the correct sentence must:
- Mention both Blackburn and Greider, and
- Show how what one did supports or builds on what the other did (not just list separate facts).
Identify each scientist’s main contribution from the notes
Look back at the notes and summarize each scientist’s key role:
- Blackburn: She hypothesized that progressive telomere shortening could limit a cell’s ability to divide and affect aging.
- Greider: As a graduate student in Blackburn’s lab, she isolated telomerase in Tetrahymena and her experiments gave direct evidence that telomerase actively lengthens telomeres.
So, Blackburn provided an idea/hypothesis, and Greider provided experimental evidence about the mechanism (telomerase) that affects telomeres.
Match this relationship to an answer choice
Now compare each answer choice to what you just identified:
- The best choice will connect Blackburn’s hypothesis about telomere shortening with Greider’s experiments on telomerase that rebuilds telomeres.
- Eliminate choices that only mention awards, organisms, or career status without explaining how Greider’s work supports Blackburn’s idea.
Select the choice that shows hypothesis plus confirmation
Choice C says that Blackburn proposed that telomere shortening limited cell division, and Greider confirmed this idea by isolating telomerase, the enzyme that rebuilds telomeres. This accurately uses the notes and clearly explains how Greider’s work complemented Blackburn’s by providing evidence for her hypothesis. Therefore, C is the correct answer.