Question 193·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• American oceanographer Sylvia Earle led the first all-female team of aquanauts.
• The mission, called Tektite II, occurred in 1970 in the US Virgin Islands.
• Earle spent two weeks living in an underwater habitat at a depth of 15 meters.
The student wants to indicate where Earle’s Tektite II mission took place. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the task phrase (for example, “indicate where the mission took place”) so you are clear on the exact information needed. Then quickly scan the notes to find the bullet that contains that specific type of information (here, the place name). Finally, eliminate any choices that do not include that crucial detail or that focus on other facts (who, what, when, extra trivia). Choose the option that directly and accurately uses the needed note with minimal irrelevant information.
Hints
Clarify what information is needed
Underline the phrase “indicate where Earle’s Tektite II mission took place.” Ask yourself: are you looking for time, what she did, or the place?
Locate the relevant note
Look back at the bullet points and find the one that tells you where the mission occurred. What exact words in that note describe the location?
Match the location to an answer choice
Once you know the key location phrase from the notes, scan each answer choice and see which one actually includes that place.
Watch for off-topic details
Be careful with choices that mention correct facts (like the year, her nickname, or underwater depth) but never say where the mission took place.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
Focus on what the student wants to do: “indicate where Earle’s Tektite II mission took place.”
This means the key information is the location of the mission, not just what Earle did, who she was, or when it happened.
Find the relevant note about the mission’s location
Look at the three notes and decide which one tells you where the mission happened:
- Note 1: Says she led the first all-female team of aquanauts (what/who, not where).
- Note 2: Says, “The mission, called Tektite II, occurred in 1970 in the US Virgin Islands.” This has both the mission name and the place.
- Note 3: Says she lived in an underwater habitat at a depth of 15 meters (a detail about conditions, not location).
The essential location detail is “in the US Virgin Islands.” Including the year 1970 is fine but secondary.
Check each answer choice against the task
Now see which option actually states the location of the Tektite II mission:
- Choice A: Mentions the mission, the first all-female team, and the year 1970, but says nothing about where it happened.
- Choice B: Talks about an underwater habitat and depth, but does not name Tektite II or its location.
- Choice C: Mentions her nickname and that she led Tektite II with an all-female team, but not where the mission took place.
- One choice clearly includes “in the US Virgin Islands” and mentions the mission.
Choose the sentence that includes the mission’s location
The only option that clearly tells where the Tektite II mission occurred by using the note “in the US Virgin Islands” (along with the correct year and mission description) is:
D) In the US Virgin Islands in 1970, Sylvia Earle led the Tektite II mission, the first all-female team of aquanauts.