Question 206·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Jupiter’s moon Europa has surface ice but might harbor an ocean beneath.
- The ocean’s salinity and depth remain unknown.
- NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, scheduled for launch in 2024, will carry ice-penetrating radar.
- The radar can map the thickness of Europa’s ice shell and detect potential water pockets.
- Understanding Europa’s ocean could inform the search for extraterrestrial life.
The student wants to emphasize the scientific significance of the Europa Clipper mission in a presentation to classmates. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For note-based rhetorical synthesis questions, start by underlining the goal in the question (for example, “emphasize the scientific significance of the mission”). Then scan the notes to find which ones match that goal—usually the ones that show purpose, importance, or impact, not just background facts. Next, eliminate answer choices that (1) ignore the main subject (here, the Europa Clipper mission), (2) only restate a small detail, or (3) leave out the big-picture scientific impact mentioned in the notes. Choose the sentence that best combines the key details and clearly addresses the stated purpose in a single, focused statement.
Hints
Focus on the goal words in the question
Underline the phrase “emphasize the scientific significance of the Europa Clipper mission.” Ask yourself: which answers talk about why the mission matters to science, not just facts about Europa?
Connect the mission to its broader purpose
Look for notes that describe both what the Europa Clipper will do and why scientists care about that work. Which notes mention a big-picture scientific goal?
Check each option against the notes and the goal
For each answer choice, ask: Does it (1) clearly mention the Europa Clipper mission, and (2) explain how its work relates to the search for life or other major scientific questions? Eliminate any that don’t do both.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task in the question
The question asks which sentence would emphasize the scientific significance of the Europa Clipper mission in a presentation. That means the best choice should:
- Focus on the mission itself, not just the moon.
- Highlight why the mission is important for science, not just what it measures.
- Ideally connect the mission to a larger scientific goal, like the search for life.
Identify the most relevant notes
Look at the notes and pick out the ones that show the mission’s importance:
- Note 3: The mission is scheduled for launch in 2024 and will carry ice-penetrating radar.
- Note 4: The radar can map the thickness of Europa’s ice shell and detect potential water pockets.
- Note 5: Understanding Europa’s ocean could inform the search for extraterrestrial life.
A strong answer will combine the mission (notes 3–4) with its broader scientific purpose (note 5).
Evaluate which options show scientific significance
Now compare each option to the goal:
- One option talks only about measuring the ice shell’s thickness. That is a technical detail but does not explain why this matters.
- Another option describes what is unknown about the ocean and that the mission will map the icy shell, but still doesn’t explicitly state the scientific importance.
- Another option talks about scientists being curious about Europa and possible conditions for life, but it does not mention the mission at all.
Only one choice clearly connects what the Europa Clipper will do and how that will help the search for extraterrestrial life.
Select the choice that fully matches the goal
The only sentence that both describes the mission’s activity and explains its larger scientific importance is:
“Scheduled to launch in 2024, NASA’s Europa Clipper will use ice-penetrating radar to explore the hidden ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface, a step that could advance the search for extraterrestrial life.”
This choice uses relevant notes about the mission’s tools and target (the hidden ocean) and clearly states why that matters scientifically: it could help advance the search for life beyond Earth.