Question 19·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a Polish-born physicist and chemist.
- She pioneered research on radioactivity and discovered polonium and radium.
- In 1903, she shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel.
- In 1911, she received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on radium and polonium.
The student wants to identify the year of Curie’s second Nobel Prize. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask which choice best uses notes to achieve a specific research goal, first underline or mentally note the exact goal (for example, “identify the year of the second Nobel Prize”). Then scan the notes for the small subset of bullets that directly relate to that goal, ignoring unrelated details. Finally, pick the answer choice that matches that specific information as directly and completely as possible, without adding unrelated facts or addressing the wrong detail (such as the first prize instead of the second).
Hints
Focus on the specific task
Do not get distracted by general biographical facts about Marie Curie. The question asks for one thing: the year of her second Nobel Prize.
Find all Nobel Prize information in the notes
Look through the notes and identify every bullet that mentions a Nobel Prize. How many different years are connected to Nobel Prizes?
Decide which prize is the second one
Once you know the years of the Nobel Prizes listed, think about which year would belong to the second prize, and then look for the choice that clearly states that year in connection with her second Nobel Prize.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the question is asking
The question is not asking for general facts about Marie Curie. It asks for the year of Curie’s second Nobel Prize. So you should look in the notes for information about more than one Nobel Prize and identify which note tells you about the second one and its year.
Locate both Nobel Prize notes and determine which is second
From the notes:
- One note says she "shared the Nobel Prize in Physics" in 1903.
- Another note says she "received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry" in 1911.
Since 1903 comes before 1911, the 1903 prize is her first Nobel Prize and the 1911 prize is her second Nobel Prize. The year you need is the later year.
Match the correct information to the answer choices
Now scan the answer choices for the one that directly states the year of her second Nobel Prize. Only choice D clearly connects her second Nobel Prize with the year 1911, so D) Marie Curie received her second Nobel Prize in 1911. is correct.