Question 162·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Dr. Aisha Banerjee is an urban planner.
- She studied the impact of converting curbside parking spaces into small public parklets on neighborhood foot traffic and local retail sales in a midsize city.
- She analyzed retail sales tax receipts and pedestrian counts for six commercial corridors.
- She compared data from the 12 months before parklets were installed with data from the 18 months after installation.
- Corridors with parklets saw an average 12% increase in pedestrian counts and a statistically significant rise in retail sales.
- Merchants reported more repeat customers and longer visits. аnіkо.ai
The student wants to emphasize how the researcher conducted the study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For "using notes" and rhetorical synthesis questions, start by underlining the goal phrase in the prompt (for example, emphasize method, results, or background). Then quickly scan the notes and mark only the bullets that match that goal. When you read the answer choices, pick the one built from those specific notes and only serving the stated purpose; eliminate options that use correct facts but focus on the wrong thing (such as results when the question asks about method). This keeps you from being distracted by interesting but off-target details.
Hints
Clarify the task
Focus on the phrase "how the researcher conducted the study." Are you being asked about what she discovered, who she is, or the steps she took to do the research?
Locate method-related notes
In the bullet points, look for details about what was measured, where, and over what time periods, rather than numbers describing changes or people’s opinions. Аnіkο AI Тutоr
Eliminate non-method choices
Cross out any answer that mainly talks about the results (what happened after parklets were installed), her job title, or merchants’ reports, instead of the specific data analysis.
Check for time-frame comparisons
Ask yourself: Which option mentions comparing information from before and after the parklets were installed? That’s a strong clue to the study’s procedure.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the goal (method, not results)
The prompt asks the student to emphasize how the researcher conducted the study, so the best sentence should describe Banerjee’s procedure: what she measured, where she measured it, and how she compared the data.
Pull the method details from the notes
The notes describe the method as:
- Data used: retail sales tax receipts and pedestrian counts
- Scope: six commercial corridors
- Comparison: 12 months before installation vs. 18 months after installation
Evaluate the choices by checking for exact matches to the notes
A correct synthesis must include all key method elements without changing them.
Eliminate choices that:
- swap the before/after time windows,
- replace a data source with something not in the notes (like interviews), or
- describe only an “after” period with no before/after comparison.
Select the choice that accurately states the method
The only option that correctly states the data sources, scope, and exact before/after time windows is:
"Banerjee analyzed pedestrian counts and sales tax receipts for six commercial corridors, comparing the 12 months before parklets with the 18 months after installation."