Question 189·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Voyager 1 launched in 1977 to study Jupiter and Saturn.
After its flybys, its mission was extended; in 2012 it became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
Voyager 1 carries a "Golden Record" containing sounds and images from Earth.
New Horizons launched in 2006 to study Pluto.
After its Pluto flyby, its mission was extended; in 2019 it flew past the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth.
New Horizons is now exploring the outer Kuiper Belt.
The student wants to highlight how some space missions continue to gather data well beyond their original destinations. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions with notes, first restate the goal in your own words so you know exactly what the sentence must do. Then scan the notes for details that directly support that goal, especially patterns shared by multiple items (like both missions having extended operations). Eliminate any answer that is merely true but focuses on side details—such as dates, contrasts, or technology—that don’t match the stated purpose, and choose the option that most directly expresses the key idea using relevant information from the notes.
Hints
Clarify the purpose
Underline the phrase in the question that states the student’s goal. What exact idea about the missions is the student trying to emphasize?
Use the notes strategically
Look back at the notes for both Voyager 1 and New Horizons. What similar thing happens to both missions after they reach their first main targets?
Check relevance, not just accuracy
Several choices are factually correct, but only one directly supports the student’s stated purpose. Ask yourself: which option focuses on what the missions do after their original objectives, rather than just launches, destinations, or design differences?
Look for synthesis
The best answer should bring together information about both spacecraft in a single idea, rather than talking about only one mission or shifting to a different topic like technology or contrasts.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the student’s goal
The question says the student wants to highlight how some space missions continue to gather data well beyond their original destinations. So the best sentence must:
- Emphasize missions going beyond their first targets
- Emphasize that they keep gathering data / exploring afterward
- Be supported by the information in the notes It is not enough just to mention launch dates, destinations, or differences between spacecraft.
Pull out the key information from the notes
From the notes:
- Voyager 1
- Original purpose: "launched in 1977 to study Jupiter and Saturn."
- Then: "After its flybys, its mission was extended" and later it "became the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space."
- New Horizons
- Original purpose: "launched in 2006 to study Pluto."
- Then: "After its Pluto flyby, its mission was extended; in 2019 it flew past the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth" and "is now exploring the outer Kuiper Belt."
Both sets of notes explicitly say the mission was extended and show continued exploration past the original destination.
Match choices to the goal and the notes
Now compare each option to the goal:
- Choice A gives accurate details about Voyager 1, but it only describes one mission instead of highlighting the broader pattern.
- Choice B emphasizes different original targets (Pluto vs. Jupiter/Saturn), not what happened after the original objectives.
- Choice C focuses on the time gap between launches and how missions have evolved, which doesn’t address extended exploration beyond original destinations. The remaining option is the one that directly captures the shared pattern from the notes: both missions continued exploring after their primary objectives.
Identify the best synthesis statement
The choice that directly states this shared pattern is:
Both Voyager 1 and New Horizons had their missions extended and continued exploring beyond their original targets.
This sentence:
- Uses information about both missions
- Emphasizes that their missions were extended and went beyond their original destinations
- Directly matches the student’s stated goal
So that is the correct answer.