Question 213·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has gathered the following notes:
- Vertical farming stacks plant beds in controlled indoor environments.
- Farms use LED lighting and hydroponics, which require less land and water than traditional agriculture.
- Vertical farms can be located inside urban warehouses, reducing transportation distance for produce.
- By controlling temperature and humidity, they can grow crops year-round.
The student wants to introduce vertical farming by highlighting both its sustainable advantages and its primary growing method. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the specific task in the question (for example, "highlighting both its sustainable advantages and its primary growing method"). Then, quickly label each note by what type of information it gives (method, benefit, definition, etc.). When you read the answer choices, eliminate any that (1) use details not in the notes, (2) omit one of the required elements from the task, or (3) repeat only one type of information (all method or all benefit). The correct choice will accurately combine the right kinds of details to match the stated purpose in one clear, concise sentence.
Hints
Focus on the exact goal in the question
Underline the words "highlighting both its sustainable advantages and its primary growing method." Which two different kinds of information must the sentence include?
Sort the notes into method vs. advantage
Look at the bullet points and decide: which notes explain how vertical farms grow (what they physically do), and which notes explain why they’re good for the environment or resources?
Check each option for both parts
For each answer choice, ask: does it clearly describe how vertical farming grows crops and mention a clear sustainability benefit (such as resource savings), or does it only do one of those things?
Watch for partial answers
Be careful with choices that sound correct but only mention a single advantage (like location or transport distance) or only describe the indoor setup without saying why it is more sustainable.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the writing goal
The question asks for a sentence that introduces vertical farming by including both:
- a sustainable advantage, and
- the primary growing method.
Identify key note details to use
From the notes:
- Method: stacked plant beds; controlled indoor environments; LED lighting and hydroponics.
- Sustainability advantages: uses less land and water; can reduce transportation distance by being in cities.
The best choice must include at least one clear method detail and at least one clear sustainability detail.
Eliminate choices that only do one part
Check each option for the two required elements:
- Some choices emphasize benefits (like less land/water or shorter transport) but never say how vertical farms grow crops.
- Other choices describe the indoor setup (stacked beds, LEDs, hydroponics) but don’t clearly state a sustainability advantage such as reduced land and water use.
Choose the option that includes both method and sustainability
The best choice is:
"With stacked plant beds, LED lighting, and hydroponics indoors, vertical farms can grow crops year-round while using less land and water than traditional agriculture."
It states the growing method (stacked beds with LED lighting and hydroponics indoors) and a clear sustainability advantage (uses less land and water).