Question 178·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has compiled the following notes:
- The kakapo is a large, flightless parrot native to New Zealand.
- Fewer than 250 kakapo remain, placing the species on the brink of extinction.
- Conservationists now send drones loaded with specially formulated food to the birds’ remote island refuges.
- Geneticists have sequenced the kakapo genome to locate harmful mutations that stem from generations of inbreeding.
- Assisted reproduction, informed by genetic data, could increase the population’s diversity.
The student wants to begin a presentation with a sentence that highlights the role of modern technology in conservation. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to meet this goal?
For questions that ask you to choose a sentence based on notes and a specific writing goal, first underline the key task words in the question (here, "begin a presentation" and "highlight the role of modern technology in conservation"). Then quickly scan the notes to find all details that match those key ideas. Next, eliminate any choice that: (1) ignores the main goal (for example, has no technology or no clear conservation angle), (2) uses only a narrow detail when a broad introduction is needed, or (3) adds information that is not in the notes. The remaining choice that best fulfills the goal and stays faithful to the notes is your answer.
Hints
Restate the goal in your own words
Ask yourself: What does it mean to "highlight the role of modern technology in conservation" in a first sentence? You need both technology and saving/protecting a species in a broad, introductory way.
Find the technology in the notes
Look back at the bullet points and underline anything that describes tools, methods, or scientific techniques that seem modern or high-tech. Ignore facts that are just about what the kakapo is or how many there are.
Check for conservation and scope
Among the choices, which ones connect those tools or methods to helping the kakapo survive? Also, which option sounds like a big-picture opening, not just one small detail?
Watch for added or missing information
Eliminate any choice that brings in details not mentioned in the notes, and any that leave out the idea of technology or conservation altogether.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task and goal
The question asks for a first sentence of a presentation that highlights the role of modern technology in conservation. That means the sentence should:
- Mention modern technology (not just the animal or its status).
- Connect that technology to conservation efforts (saving or helping the species).
- Work well as a broad, introductory idea, not a narrow detail.
Locate relevant details in the notes
Scan the notes and mark anything about technology and conservation:
- Drones delivering specially formulated food to remote island refuges → modern technology being used to help the birds.
- Geneticists sequencing the kakapo genome to find harmful mutations → another modern technology (genome sequencing) used to help the species.
- Assisted reproduction informed by genetic data → also a technology-based conservation method.
The kakapo’s being on the brink of extinction tells us why these efforts matter (conservation).
Compare each answer choice to the goal and the notes
Now check which sentence:
- Uses information accurately from the notes.
- Clearly shows modern technology.
- Connects that technology to saving or protecting the kakapo.
- Sounds like a big-picture opening rather than a single detail.
Notice problems:
- One choice talks only about genome sequencing without clearly tying it to conservation.
- One focuses just on how many kakapo are left, with no technology at all.
- One mentions assisted reproduction and adds gene editing, which is not in the notes, so it goes beyond the source material.
Only one option successfully combines multiple technological tools and directly states they are being used to rescue the kakapo.
Select the sentence that best fits all requirements
The best opening sentence is:
From drones that ferry food to genome sequencing that spots harmful mutations, scientists are using cutting-edge tools to rescue the kakapo, a flightless New Zealand parrot on the brink of extinction.
This choice:
- Accurately uses notes about drones and genome sequencing.
- Clearly highlights modern technology ("cutting-edge tools").
- Directly links these tools to rescuing an endangered species (conservation).
- Works as a strong, broad introductory statement for the presentation.