Question 195·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While preparing a presentation on space exploration, a student has compiled these notes:
• Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 launched in 1977 to study the outer planets and are now traveling through interstellar space.
• Each spacecraft carries a gold-plated phonograph record containing 115 images, natural sounds (such as wind and thunder), music from different cultures, and spoken greetings in 55 languages.
• A committee led by astronomer Carl Sagan selected the record’s contents.
• The record’s purpose is to communicate with any intelligent extraterrestrial life that might encounter the probes.
• Because the odds of discovery are extremely small, NASA views the record primarily as a time capsule and a symbol of humanity’s optimism.
The student wants to refer to Voyager’s Golden Record in a way that underscores its symbolic significance rather than its practical function. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions with notes, first restate the task in your own words (for example, “emphasize symbolism, not practical function”). Then scan the notes to find the most relevant bullet(s) that match that task—in this case, the one explaining how NASA views the record. Next, quickly compare each answer to those key notes and to the question’s wording, eliminating choices that either (1) ignore the requested focus (such as symbolism) or (2) repeat details that don’t address the goal. Choose the option that best captures both the content of the relevant note and the purpose stated in the question.
Hints
Clarify the task
Underline the words in the question: “symbolic significance rather than its practical function.” What kind of description are you expected to choose?
Find the most relevant note
Look back at the bullet points. Which bullet talks about how NASA views the record, not just what is on it or who made it?
Compare focus of the choices
For each option, ask: Does this mainly describe what the record does (communicating with aliens) or what it represents (ideas like time, memory, or optimism)?
Watch for contrast words
Is there a choice that directly mentions the low likelihood of actual communication, and then contrasts that with what the record means or symbolizes?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what the question is asking for
The stem says the student wants to “underscore its symbolic significance rather than its practical function.”
So your task is to find the option that:
- Focuses on what the record represents (its symbolism), and
- Downplays or contrasts with its use as an actual communication device.
Locate relevant information in the notes
Look through the bullets for anything about symbolism versus practicality:
- Earlier bullets describe what the record is, what’s on it, and who chose the contents (practical details).
- The last bullet says: “Because the odds of discovery are extremely small, NASA views the record primarily as a time capsule and a symbol of humanity’s optimism.”
This last bullet directly talks about how NASA views the record (its symbolic role) and mentions the low odds of actual discovery (its limited practical function).
Match choices to the notes and the goal
Compare each answer choice to both the last bullet and the question’s goal:
- Ask: Does this choice stress symbolism (time capsule, optimism, emblem, symbol) more than practical communication?
- Or does it mainly talk about the record as a way to send messages to aliens (its practical function)?
Eliminate any choices that mostly describe the record as a communication tool or that ignore the idea of symbolism and optimism.
Select the choice that emphasizes symbolism over practicality
Only one option explicitly captures the tiny chance of detection and presents the Golden Record as a time capsule and symbolic gesture of optimism, instead of as an effective communication device. That option is:
C) Despite the remote chance of detection, NASA included a Golden Record on each Voyager probe—intended more as a time capsule and emblem of humanity’s optimism than as a realistic communication device.