Question 138·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While gathering information for a report, a student recorded the following notes:
- The giant sequoia known as General Sherman stands about 275 feet tall.
- General Sherman has a base diameter of roughly 36 feet.
- The tree is estimated to weigh about 2.7 million pounds.
- General Sherman is considered the largest tree by volume on Earth.
The student wants to emphasize how heavy General Sherman is. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to achieve this purpose?
For questions that ask which choice best achieves a specific purpose, first underline the goal words in the question (here, "emphasize how heavy"). Then, scan the notes to find the fact that directly matches that goal (a weight measurement for heaviness, a date for timing, a quotation for an opinion, etc.). Finally, pick the answer choice that uses that exact relevant fact with the fewest distractions, and eliminate choices that are true but focus on different aspects than what the question asks for.
Hints
Restate the goal
The student wants to emphasize how heavy the tree is. Ask yourself: which kind of measurement tells you how heavy something is?
Look back at the notes
Scan the bullet points and find the one that gives a specific value for the tree’s weight, not its height, width, or rank among trees.
Compare notes to choices
Once you find the note about weight, look for the answer choice that uses that same piece of information with minimal extra details.
Eliminate off-topic choices
Cross out any choices that focus mainly on how tall the tree is, how wide its base is, or its status as the largest by volume, since those do not directly emphasize weight.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The question says the student "wants to emphasize how heavy General Sherman is." That means you should look for information about the tree’s weight, not its height, width, or rank.
Locate the relevant note in the list
Look back at the four bullet points and ask: Which one directly talks about how much the tree weighs? Only one bullet point gives a specific measurement in pounds; the others describe height, base diameter, or being the largest by volume.
Match the relevant note to an answer choice
Now compare the answer choices with the note about the tree’s weight. Find the choice that repeats or closely paraphrases the weight information from the notes—this will be the sentence that best emphasizes how heavy General Sherman is.
The correct answer is: The giant sequoia General Sherman is estimated to weigh about 2.7 million pounds.
Confirm it best matches the purpose
Check that this sentence focuses only on weight and does not distract with less relevant details like height or volume. Because it directly states the extremely large weight, it most effectively emphasizes how heavy the tree is, so this is the best choice.