Question 213·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Coral reefs are threatened by rising ocean temperatures and pollution.
- A 2022 University of Miami study found that reefs lose 30% of their coverage when water temperatures exceed 30 °C.
- Pollution from agricultural runoff increases algae growth that blocks sunlight.
- Higher temperatures weaken corals, making them more susceptible to disease.
- Pollution accelerates coral bleaching when combined with elevated temperatures.
The student wants to highlight how rising temperatures and pollution interact to damage coral reefs. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, start by restating the task in your own words (for example, "I need a sentence that shows how factors X and Y work together"). Then quickly mark which notes match that task—especially notes that describe causes, effects, or combinations. Next, scan the choices and eliminate any that (1) leave out a required element from the question, (2) use only a single, narrow detail, or (3) just restate the topic without explaining relationships. The correct choice will usually combine multiple relevant notes into a clear, specific statement that directly addresses what the question asks for—no more, no less.
Hints
Focus on the key words in the question
Underline the words "how rising temperatures and pollution interact to damage coral reefs." Ask yourself: which choices mention both rising temperatures and pollution, and also describe a relationship between them?
Use the most relevant notes
Look back at the notes and find the bullets that describe what higher temperatures do, what pollution does, and what happens when they are combined. Then look for an answer choice that reflects more than one of those points together.
Eliminate incomplete choices
Cross out any answer that talks only about temperature, only about pollution, or just lists them as threats without explaining how they damage reefs or work together.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task in the question
The question asks for a sentence that will "highlight how rising temperatures and pollution interact to damage coral reefs." This means the best choice must:
- Mention both rising temperatures and pollution.
- Show or imply that they work together (interact) rather than just listing them separately.
- Explain how this interaction causes damage to coral reefs.
Identify the most relevant notes
From the notes, pull out the details that deal with each factor and their combination:
- Rising temperatures: "Higher temperatures weaken corals, making them more susceptible to disease."
- Pollution: "Pollution from agricultural runoff increases algae growth that blocks sunlight."
- Interaction: "Pollution accelerates coral bleaching when combined with elevated temperatures." These three bullets clearly connect temperature, pollution, and the damage they cause together.
Check each answer against the goal and notes
Now compare each option to what the question wants:
- One option mentions only temperature and gives a specific statistic about coverage loss; it ignores pollution, so it cannot show an interaction.
- Another option talks only about pollution causing algae growth that blocks sunlight; it never mentions temperature.
- A third option names both temperature and pollution but just says reefs are "threatened" by them; it does not explain how they work together or what specifically happens to the reefs.
- One option mentions weakening from rising temperatures, explains how pollution makes that damage worse by fostering algae that blocks sunlight, and ties this to a large loss of coral coverage. This matches multiple notes and shows the interaction the question asks for.
Select the choice that synthesizes and explains the interaction
The only option that uses both rising temperatures and pollution, explains how pollution intensifies the damage caused by higher temperatures, and connects this interaction to serious harm (loss of coral coverage) is:
A) Rising ocean temperatures weaken coral reefs, and pollution from agricultural runoff intensifies the damage by fostering algae growth that blocks sunlight, together leading to substantial loss of coral coverage.