Question 170·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Economist Karen Anderson notes that urban trees lower energy costs by shading buildings in summer and blocking cold winds in winter.
- A Detroit study found that neighborhoods with 30% tree cover experienced up to 20% lower summer electricity use.
- Trees absorb pollutants, improving air quality and reducing respiratory illness.
- By storing carbon and casting shade, trees mitigate the urban heat-island effect.
- Planting and maintenance require ongoing city expenditures and long-term planning.
The student wants to draft a sentence that best supports the claim that expanding a city’s tree canopy is economically advantageous. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the key words in the claim (here, "economically advantageous"). Then quickly scan the notes and mark only those that directly relate to that key idea—in this case, notes about energy costs and electricity use. Before looking at the choices, form a rough prediction of the kind of information the best sentence should include. When you evaluate the answer choices, eliminate any that focus on the wrong type of benefit (health or environment instead of money), that introduce mostly negative information about costs, or that mix in off-topic details. Choose the option that uses the most relevant note(s) to clearly and efficiently support the specific claim given in the prompt.
Hints
Focus on what the claim is really asking
Pay close attention to the phrase "economically advantageous." Ask yourself: which notes talk about money, costs, or savings rather than health or the environment?
Connect the notes to the idea of savings
Look for notes that mention energy costs or electricity use. How would these relate to a city's budget or residents' expenses?
Check for off-topic or opposite information
Are there choices that mainly talk about health or environmental benefits instead of money, or that emphasize how trees cost money or require caution? Those are less likely to best support an economic advantage.
Look for the most focused and relevant combination
Among the options that mention costs or electricity use, choose the one that stays focused on financial benefits, without diluting the point with unrelated details.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task and key phrase
The question asks for a sentence that best supports the claim that expanding a city’s tree canopy is economically advantageous.
Key idea:
- "Economically advantageous" means it helps save or make money (for example, lowering costs like energy bills), not just improving health or the environment.
Identify which notes are about money
Look back at the notes and ask which ones clearly connect trees to costs or savings:
- "Urban trees lower energy costs by shading buildings in summer and blocking cold winds in winter" — this is directly about saving money on energy.
- "Neighborhoods with 30% tree cover experienced up to 20% lower summer electricity use" — less electricity used usually means lower bills (more savings).
- "Trees absorb pollutants...reducing respiratory illness" — this is mainly about health.
- "Trees mitigate the urban heat-island effect" — this is mainly about temperature and environment.
- "Planting and maintenance require ongoing city expenditures" — this is about trees costing money, not about savings.
The first two bullets are the strongest support for an economic (financial) advantage.
Predict what a good sentence should mention
A strong supporting sentence should:
- Clearly show trees helping save money (for example, by cutting heating/cooling costs or electricity use).
- Stay focused on financial benefits, not mainly on health or environmental effects.
- Use the most relevant notes: the economist’s point about lower energy costs and/or the data about 20% lower electricity use.
Match the prediction to the best answer choice
Now compare the choices to your prediction:
- Eliminate any choice that only talks about health or environmental effects without clear money savings.
- Eliminate any choice that mainly highlights costs or suggests you should be cautious about planting trees, because that does not support the idea that trees are economically advantageous.
- Prefer the choice that combines the idea that trees reduce heating and cooling expenses with specific evidence about lower electricity use.
The only option that directly states that trees reduce both heating and cooling expenses and gives the statistic that neighborhoods with 30% tree cover used up to 20% less summer electricity is choice B: "According to economist Karen Anderson, trees cut both heating and cooling expenses, and neighborhoods with 30% tree cover used up to 20% less summer electricity."