Question 205·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While preparing a presentation, a student has taken the following notes:
- Giant squid possess the largest eyes recorded in the animal kingdom, measuring 10–30 centimeters in diameter.
- Sperm whales, which prey on giant squid, also have relatively large eyes about 5 centimeters across.
- Both species inhabit the deep ocean, where sunlight is almost nonexistent.
- Oversized eyes help these animals detect faint flashes of bioluminescence in the dark water.
The student wants to highlight a contrast between the eye sizes of giant squid and sperm whales. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, first identify the exact purpose named in the question (here, a contrast in eye sizes). Then locate the note details that directly serve that purpose (the two eye-size measurements). Eliminate choices that focus on related but irrelevant details (habitat, hunting, bioluminescence) or that mention only one species’ eye size, and choose the option that clearly compares both animals using the relevant data.
Hints
Clarify what the question is asking for
Underline the phrase "highlight a contrast between the eye sizes of giant squid and sperm whales." Look for a choice that directly compares the two animals’ eye sizes.
Use the notes to find key details
Find the numbers in the notes for each animal’s eye size. The best option should include information about both animals’ eye sizes (not just one).
Check focus and relevance
Eliminate options that mainly describe habitat, hunting behavior, or light conditions without clearly comparing the two eye sizes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The question says the student wants to highlight a contrast between the eye sizes of giant squid and sperm whales.
So the right answer must:
- Mention both giant squid and sperm whales.
- Focus on their eye sizes.
- Make the difference (contrast) in size clear.
Pull out the relevant note details
From the notes, the key information needed for an eye-size contrast is:
- Giant squid eyes: 10–30 centimeters in diameter.
- Sperm whale eyes: about 5 centimeters across.
Details about habitat, hunting, and bioluminescence can be included, but they don’t by themselves create a size contrast.
Evaluate each option against the goal
- Choice A mentions both animals and explains what their eyes help them do, but it does not compare their eye sizes.
- Choice C gives the giant squid’s eye size, but it doesn’t mention sperm whale eye size, so there is no contrast between the two species.
- Choice D gives only the sperm whale’s eye size and related context, but it still does not compare it to the giant squid’s eye size.
- Choice B includes both measurements (30 cm vs. 5 cm) and explicitly shows the difference in size.
Select the sentence that best highlights the contrast
The best answer is:
Although both creatures navigate the same dark waters, the giant squid’s eyes can reach 30 centimeters across, dwarfing the sperm whale’s 5-centimeter eyes.