Question 158·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Satellite imagery shows that the amount of artificial light at night on Earth increased by about 2.2% per year between 2012 and 2016.
- Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel and colleagues at the University of Exeter examined how this increase might affect migratory moths, important nighttime pollinators.
- In laboratory trials, moths pollinated 62% fewer flowers when exposed to artificial light than when kept in darkness.
- Insects are responsible for pollinating roughly 30% of wild flowering plant species.
- Reduced pollination by moths could alter ecosystem dynamics.
The student wants to underscore the potential ecological consequence of the researchers’ findings. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, start by underlining the goal language in the question (here, “potential ecological consequence”) so you know exactly what the sentence must do. Then scan the notes to identify which bullets are results or implications, not just background or methods. Look for the answer choice that (1) uses those specific, relevant notes and (2) directly fulfills the stated goal, such as showing a cause-and-effect relationship or broader impact. Quickly eliminate options that only summarize data trends, describe procedures, or emphasize uncertainty, because they usually fail to achieve the goal the question describes.
Hints
Clarify the goal of the sentence
Focus on the phrase "potential ecological consequence" in the question. What kind of information from the notes would show what might happen to plants or ecosystems because of the researchers’ findings?
Separate background from consequences
Look at the notes and ask: which bullets just describe trends or what the researchers did, and which bullets suggest what might happen in nature if moth pollination decreases?
Connect the result to its impact
You want a choice that uses the experimental result about moths pollinating fewer flowers and then clearly connects that to a larger effect on wild plants or ecosystems, not just to moth behavior or data about light levels.
Watch out for method-only or uncertainty statements
Be cautious of choices that mainly describe how the study was conducted or emphasize that something is not well understood; those usually don’t fulfill a goal that asks you to highlight a clear consequence.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The question says the student wants to "underscore the potential ecological consequence of the researchers’ findings."
That means the correct answer must:
- Be about consequences (what might happen as a result).
- Be ecological (about plants, ecosystems, or environmental relationships).
- Be tied to the researchers’ findings, not just background facts or methods.
Find the relevant notes for ecological consequences
Look through the notes and separate background/methods from consequences:
- Background trend: the amount of artificial light is increasing.
- Methods: the researchers examined how this might affect moths.
- Key result: in trials, moths pollinated 62% fewer flowers under artificial light.
- Ecological context: insects pollinate about 30% of wild flowering plant species.
- Direct consequence note: reduced pollination by moths could alter ecosystem dynamics.
The best sentence should connect the result (less pollination) to a broader ecological effect on plants or ecosystems.
Screen out choices that don’t show a consequence
Now check each option against the goal:
- Does it mention an effect or risk to plants or ecosystems?
- Does it clearly follow from the researchers’ findings (the experiment about moths and light)?
Eliminate any choice that only gives background numbers, describes what the researchers did, or says the effects are unknown, because those do not underscore a specific ecological consequence.
Match the remaining choice to the notes and goal
Only one option directly links the experimental result (moths pollinating 62% fewer flowers under artificial light) with a broader ecological impact (threatening the reproduction of many wild plants), using the idea that insects pollinate a significant share of wild flowering plants.
Therefore, the best answer is:
B) Because moths pollinated 62% fewer flowers when exposed to artificial light, increasing global brightness could threaten the reproduction of many wild plants.