Question 204·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has compiled the following notes about adult sleep habits in the United States:
• A 2019 National Sleep Foundation survey found that the average adult slept 6 hours 44 minutes per night, 14 minutes less than in 2009.
• Adults are advised to sleep 7–9 hours each night.
• The share of adults who sleep fewer than 6 hours per night rose from 19 percent in 2009 to 24 percent in 2019.
• Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a 30 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Only 12 percent of respondents could correctly identify the recommended nightly sleep duration.
• Educational campaigns launched in four states in 2012 increased awareness of the recommendation by 18 percentage points but did not raise average sleep duration.
In a draft of an essay on sleep hygiene, the student writes, "However, public awareness of healthy sleep guidelines remains low." Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to support the student’s statement?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline or mentally note the specific idea in the sentence that needs support (here, “public awareness … remains low”). Then scan the notes for the one piece of information that directly addresses that same idea (for example, a percentage showing how many people know something). Finally, pick the answer choice that most closely restates or uses that specific note, and eliminate choices that are true but address different topics, such as causes, effects, or background facts that don’t directly prove the claim.
Hints
Clarify what the claim is saying
Focus on the phrase "public awareness of healthy sleep guidelines remains low." What does it mean about how many people know the guidelines?
Find the matching note
Look through the bullet points and find the one that talks about how many adults can correctly identify or state the recommended amount of sleep.
Match note to answer choice
Once you know which bullet is about awareness, choose the answer that expresses that same idea, rather than one about how much people sleep, what the recommendation is, or what health problems are linked to poor sleep.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the claim that needs support
The student’s sentence is: "However, public awareness of healthy sleep guidelines remains low."
This claim is about awareness of guidelines, meaning how many people know or can correctly state the recommendations, not about how much people actually sleep or what happens if they don’t.
Find the most relevant note in the bullet list
Scan the notes and ask: Which bullet talks about how many people understand or can correctly identify the recommendation?
The key note is:
- "Only 12 percent of respondents could correctly identify the recommended nightly sleep duration."
This is directly about awareness of the recommendation and shows that awareness is low (since 12 percent is a small share).
Compare each answer choice to the claim
Now match each answer choice to the idea of low public awareness:
- Choice A gives the recommendation (7–9 hours) but says nothing about how many people know it.
- Choice C talks about the change in the average amount of sleep people get over time, not their awareness of guidelines.
- Choice D describes a health risk (heart disease) linked to sleep deprivation, not awareness of guidelines.
- One choice restates the idea that only a small fraction of adults can correctly state the recommendation, which directly supports that awareness is low.
Choose the statement that directly supports low awareness
The only choice that clearly shows low awareness by giving a small percentage of adults who can correctly identify the recommendation is choice B: "However, only about one in eight adults can correctly state the recommended nightly sleep duration."
This rephrases the bullet point about 12 percent awareness in a way that directly backs up the claim that public awareness of healthy sleep guidelines remains low, so B is the correct answer.