Question 127·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While preparing a presentation, a student has compiled the following notes about urban green roofs:
- A 2022 study by University of Midtown found that installing green roofs lowered average summer roof-surface temperatures by 3 °C.
- Lead researcher Dr. Lena Ortiz explains, “Green roofs act like a sponge, absorbing heat that would otherwise warm the building and the air around it.”
- The study also reported a 15 % reduction in building energy costs.
- In post-installation surveys, 75 % of residents said indoor comfort improved.
The student wants to include a quotation from Dr. Ortiz to clarify how green roofs reduce heat. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions that ask which choice best uses notes to achieve a specific goal, first underline the exact task in the question stem (for example, “include a quotation from X to clarify how Y happens”). Then scan the notes to find the single piece of information that directly matches that goal (who is speaking, what they’re explaining). Finally, eliminate answer choices that (1) don’t use that specific information, (2) change the focus (e.g., talk about costs instead of the requested topic), or (3) misattribute or distort the note; the remaining option should accurately and directly fulfill the stated purpose.
Hints
Re-read the task in the question stem
Focus on the exact goal: the student wants to include a quotation from Dr. Ortiz that helps clarify how green roofs reduce heat. Which parts of the notes match that description?
Find the relevant note first
Look at the four bullet-point notes. Which one is actually a quote from Dr. Ortiz and describes what green roofs do with heat?
Eliminate answers that don’t fit the goal
Cross out any option that (1) is not a direct quotation, (2) is about something other than reducing heat (like cost or comfort), or (3) misattributes information from the study as something Dr. Ortiz said.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the goal of the sentence
The question states that the student wants to "include a quotation from Dr. Ortiz to clarify how green roofs reduce heat." So the correct choice must:
- Be a direct quotation (with quotation marks) from Dr. Ortiz.
- Explain how green roofs reduce heat (the mechanism), not just report a result like cost savings or comfort.
Match the goal to the relevant note
Look back at the notes and identify which bullet point both quotes Dr. Ortiz and explains heat reduction:
- The 1st bullet (3 °C drop) is about measured temperature change, not a quotation.
- The 2nd bullet is a direct quote from Dr. Ortiz: “Green roofs act like a sponge, absorbing heat that would otherwise warm the building and the air around it.” This explains how they reduce heat.
- The 3rd bullet is about energy costs.
- The 4th bullet is about residents’ comfort. So the relevant note is the second one, the quote that compares green roofs to a sponge absorbing heat.
Check each answer choice against the notes and the goal
Now eliminate choices that don’t meet the requirements:
- One choice talks about 15 % energy cost reduction and calls it an economic benefit; this focuses on money, not on clarifying how they reduce heat, and the notes don’t say Dr. Ortiz said that.
- Another choice reports that 75 % of residents felt more comfortable; that is about comfort, not the mechanism of heat reduction, and it isn’t a direct quote from Dr. Ortiz.
- A third choice mentions the 3 °C drop in roof-surface temperatures; that is a result from the study, not a quotation from Dr. Ortiz, and it doesn’t explain the mechanism.
- The remaining choice directly quotes Dr. Ortiz’s “sponge” explanation and then links it to lowering urban temperatures, which clearly clarifies how green roofs reduce heat.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
"Green roofs act like a sponge, absorbing heat that would otherwise warm the building and the air around it," explains Dr. Ortiz, illustrating how they help lower urban temperatures.