Question 183·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The kakapo, a flightless parrot native to New Zealand, is one of the world’s rarest birds.
- In the mid-1990s, fewer than 60 kakapos remained.
- Because rats and stoats prey on kakapo eggs, conservationists moved the birds to predator-free offshore islands.
- The population has since increased to over 200 individuals.
- Conservation efforts include supplementary feeding, nest monitoring, and genetic management.
The student wants to use these notes to highlight the success of conservation efforts. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?
For questions asking which sentence best achieves a stated purpose (such as highlighting success), first underline the key task words (e.g., "success of conservation efforts"). Then scan the notes for two things: (1) the relevant actions or details tied to that purpose, and (2) the result or outcome that proves the point. Go through the choices and quickly eliminate any that only give background, only describe problems, or only list actions without results. The correct answer will usually connect cause and effect explicitly, often using before-and-after numbers or clear outcome language that matches the notes.
Hints
Focus on the goal in the question
Underline the phrase "highlight the success of conservation efforts." Ask yourself: what must a sentence include to show that conservation efforts were successful?
Look for actions and outcomes in the notes
In the notes, identify which bullets describe what conservationists did and which bullet shows what happened to the population over time.
Match choices to both parts: effort and success
Eliminate any option that only describes background information, only describes threats, or only lists efforts without mentioning a positive result.
Check for before-and-after information
Which option uses the numbers from the notes to show how the population changed over time in connection with conservation efforts?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the writing goal
The question says the student wants to highlight the success of conservation efforts. That means the best sentence must:
- Mention the conservation actions that were taken, and
- Show a positive result (evidence that the efforts worked).
Pull out key notes about actions and results
From the notes:
- Conservation actions:
- Moved kakapos to predator-free offshore islands
- Supplementary feeding
- Nest monitoring
- Genetic management
- Result:
- Population increased from fewer than 60 in the mid-1990s to over 200 individuals now.
A sentence that highlights success should connect these actions to this population increase.
Test each choice against the goal
Check each option:
- A: Mentions what kakapos are and that fewer than 60 remained in the mid-1990s. It gives no conservation actions and no increase, so it does not show success.
- C: Explains why the birds were moved and that they were moved. It only gives one type of action and no result (no population increase), so it does not clearly show success.
- D: Lists conservation efforts (actions) but does not mention the population improving, so it also fails to show success.
Only one choice both explains what conservationists did and shows that the population grew afterward.
Confirm the answer that clearly shows success
The only option that both lists the conservation measures (moving kakapos to predator-free islands, supplementary feeding, nest monitoring, and genetic management) and states that the population climbed from under 60 to over 200 is choice B: "Since conservationists moved kakapos to predator-free offshore islands and provided supplementary feeding, nest monitoring, and genetic management, the population has climbed from under 60 in the 1990s to over 200 today." This directly highlights the success of the conservation efforts, so B is correct.