Question 159·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Voyager 1
• Launched in 1977.
• First spacecraft to leave the solar system (entered interstellar space in 2012).
• Carries a "golden record" containing images and sounds from Earth.
New Horizons
• Launched in 2006.
• First probe to fly by Pluto (successful flyby in 2015).
• Carries a small portion of astronomer Clyde Tombaugh’s ashes.
The student wants to highlight a difference between the missions of Voyager 1 and New Horizons. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first restate the task in your own words (for example, “I need a sentence that shows how these two missions are different using only the notes”). Then quickly mark in the notes what is unique to each item (their distinct achievements, dates, or features). Scan the answer choices and immediately cross out any that (1) focus on similarities when the question wants a difference (or vice versa), (2) introduce information not found in the notes, or (3) distort the notes’ meaning. Among the remaining choices, pick the one that most directly and clearly fulfills the stated goal using the provided details—signal words like “whereas,” “both,” and “unlike” are strong clues to the relationship each sentence expresses.
Hints
Focus on the question’s goal
Underline the phrase "highlight a difference between the missions" in the question. Which answer choices are clearly contrasting the two missions, rather than grouping them together?
Use only the notes
Check each option against the notes. If an option mentions something that is not in the notes (like who operated the spacecraft or how easy communication is), it should not be chosen.
Look for mission achievements
From the notes, what did Voyager 1 do that New Horizons did not, and what did New Horizons do that Voyager 1 did not? Look for a choice that directly compares those different achievements.
Watch signal words
Pay attention to words like “both” (which show similarity) versus words like “whereas” or “unlike” (which show contrast). Which option uses contrast correctly and sticks to the notes?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question says the student wants to highlight a difference between the missions of Voyager 1 and New Horizons, using the notes. So the correct choice must:
- Use information from the notes, and
- Emphasize how the missions are different, not how they are similar.
Identify key differences in the notes
Look at the bullets under each mission and separate unique achievements:
- Voyager 1: first spacecraft to leave the solar system (entered interstellar space in 2012).
- New Horizons: first probe to fly by Pluto (successful flyby in 2015). These are clearly different mission goals and outcomes. The items they carry (golden record vs. ashes) are also different, but notice how each bullet is phrased in the notes.
Check which options show a contrast and stay true to the notes
Now review the choices:
- Some choices start with “Both” or describe what they have in common—those highlight similarities, not differences.
- Some choices bring in details like NASA or communication range, which are not in the notes and therefore not appropriate.
- Only one choice uses a contrasting word like “whereas” and directly compares one mission’s main achievement to the other’s, both drawn exactly from the notes.
Select the sentence that best highlights the difference
The only option that accurately uses the notes and clearly contrasts the missions’ achievements is:
Voyager 1, launched in 1977, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system in 2012, whereas New Horizons, launched in 2006, became the first probe to fly by Pluto in 2015.