Question 197·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Urban agriculture methods such as vertical farming grow crops in stacked layers.
- In 2013, SkyGreens farm in Singapore began producing leafy vegetables in rotating 9-meter towers.
- A company report states that each tower yields up to 500 kilograms of vegetables per year while using 95% less water than conventional farming.
- The produce is grown hydroponically, and the rotation allows every plant to receive sunlight.
The student wants to describe SkyGreens as an example of an efficient vertical farm, using specific data from the notes. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions that use notes, first underline the goal language in the question (for example, “efficient vertical farm” and “using specific data”). Then scan the notes and quickly mark the items that best match that goal, especially any numbers or comparisons that prove the point. Next, eliminate answer choices that (1) don’t directly address the goal, (2) leave out the most powerful evidence you found, or (3) add information not in the notes. The correct choice will usually combine multiple relevant notes into a single clear sentence that fully addresses the stated purpose.
Hints
Restate the goal in your own words
Ask yourself: What exactly does the student want to show about SkyGreens, and what type of information does the question say must be used?
Look for numerical details in the notes
Scan the bullet points for numbers and phrases that compare SkyGreens to conventional farming. How do these details show that the farm is efficient?
Match the strongest notes to the answer choices
Which choice includes both (1) that SkyGreens is using vertical farming and (2) the most specific, numerical evidence from the notes to support that it is efficient?
Watch out for answers that are true but incomplete
Some choices may use correct information from the notes but leave out key efficiency data or add details that are not in the notes. Eliminate any option that doesn’t fully match the student’s stated goal.
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify what the question is asking for
The question says the student wants to describe SkyGreens as an example of an efficient vertical farm and must use specific data from the notes.
So the right answer must do two things:
- Clearly be about SkyGreens as a vertical farm.
- Use concrete numerical details from the notes to show that it is efficient (for example, how much it produces or how many resources it saves).
Identify which notes show efficiency with specific data
Look back at the bullet points and ask: which ones include numbers or clear comparisons that show efficiency?
From the notes:
- Vertical farming grows crops in stacked layers (this defines the method, but doesn’t show efficiency by itself).
- In 2013, SkyGreens began using rotating 9-meter towers (good context and shows vertical farming).
- Each tower yields up to 500 kilograms per year and uses 95% less water than conventional farming (this is strong, specific evidence of efficiency—high yield and big water savings).
- Hydroponic growth and rotation for sunlight (explains the method but is not numerical evidence of efficiency).
The key efficiency data are the numbers: 500 kilograms per year and 95% less water.
Eliminate choices that don’t fully meet the goal
Now check each option against the goal (efficient vertical farm + specific data).
- Choice A describes vertical farming and gives method details (hydroponics, sunlight, 9-meter towers), but it does not give efficiency data like yield or percent water savings.
- Choice C mentions sunlight and that the towers use less water, but it is still vague because it gives no numbers from the notes.
- Choice D adds that the towers can be harvested year-round, which is not stated in the notes, and it also fails to provide the numerical efficiency data.
All three fail to use the strongest, most specific efficiency data from the notes.
Confirm the remaining answer that uses the best evidence
The remaining option is Choice B, which says: "SkyGreens, a farm in Singapore, began producing leafy vegetables in rotating 9-meter towers in 2013, with each tower yielding up to 500 kilograms of vegetables per year while using 95% less water than conventional farming."
This choice:
- Focuses on SkyGreens.
- Shows it is a vertical farm (rotating 9-meter towers).
- Uses specific numerical data from the notes (500 kilograms per year and 95% less water) to clearly show that SkyGreens is an efficient operation.
So Choice B is the correct answer.