Question 149·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity launched in November 2011.
- NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance launched in July 2020.
- Curiosity landed in Gale Crater in August 2012.
- Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater in February 2021.
- Both rovers were built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- Perseverance is equipped with a sample-caching system; Curiosity is not.
The student wants to emphasize the time gap between the launches of the two rovers. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first restate in your own words what the sentence needs to do (for example, "emphasize the time gap between launches"). Then scan the notes and mark only the details that relate directly to that goal (here, the launch dates). Finally, choose the option that uses those specific notes and clearly achieves the stated purpose, while avoiding choices that bring in irrelevant but tempting details (like locations, builders, or extra facts that don’t serve the stated goal).
Hints
Focus on what must be emphasized
Underline the phrase "emphasize the time gap between the launches of the two rovers." What two specific things must appear in the correct sentence?
Find the right notes
Look for the notes that give information about launch dates, not landings, locations, or equipment.
Match notes to choices
Eliminate any answer that doesn’t use the launch information or doesn’t make the separation in time between those launches clear.
Check for extra, irrelevant details
If a choice focuses on landings, craters, where the rovers were built, or their instruments, ask yourself: does that really help emphasize the time gap between their launches?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The prompt says the student wants to emphasize the time gap between the launches of the two rovers. So the correct sentence must:
- Focus on launches, not landings, locations, or equipment.
- Make the time gap between the two launches clear.
Locate the relevant notes
Look back at the notes and find the details about launch dates:
- Curiosity launched in November 2011.
- Perseverance launched in July 2020. These are the only notes about launches; the other bullets discuss landing sites, who built the rovers, and equipment.
Check which choices talk about launches and time
Now compare each answer choice to the task:
- Does it mention launches for both rovers?
- Does it help the reader understand there is a time gap between those launches? Eliminate choices that talk about something else (like landing dates, locations, or instruments).
Confirm the choice that directly states the time gap in launches
Choice C says that Perseverance launched in July 2020 and that this was nearly nine years after Curiosity launched in November 2011, using both launch dates from the notes and clearly highlighting the time gap between them. Therefore, the correct answer is: Perseverance launched in July 2020, nearly nine years after Curiosity launched in November 2011.