Question 227·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 and orbits Earth at about 547 kilometers.
- The James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021.
- The James Webb Space Telescope is stationed near the Sun–Earth L2 point, roughly 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
- Both telescopes capture images of distant galaxies and nebulae.
The student wants to emphasize the dramatic difference in distance from Earth between the two telescopes. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For SAT rhetorical synthesis questions with notes and a specific goal, first underline the key task words in the question (for example, “emphasize the dramatic difference in distance from Earth”). Next, scan the notes and quickly pick out only the details that match that goal. Then, eliminate any answer choices that (1) don’t use those key details, (2) mention only one of the items that need to be compared, or (3) shift focus to something else like dates or functions. Choose the sentence that most directly and clearly uses the relevant notes to fulfill the stated purpose, even if other choices are factually correct.
Hints
Focus on the exact goal
Underline the words “emphasize the dramatic difference in distance from Earth between the two telescopes.” Which specific details from the notes are needed to show that difference?
Identify which notes matter most
Look back at the bullet points and find where distances are mentioned. How many kilometers away is each telescope from Earth?
Look for comparison and both telescopes
Among the answer choices, which ones mention both telescopes and make it easy to compare how far each one is from Earth, rather than just giving a date or describing what they do?
Check whether distance is central, not side information
Ask yourself: is the main point of the sentence about distance, or is it about something else like launch dates or what the telescopes observe?
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the writing goal
The question says the student wants to emphasize the dramatic difference in distance from Earth between the two telescopes. That means the best sentence must:
- Talk about both telescopes
- Focus on distance from Earth
- Make the difference between those distances clear and striking
Pick out the relevant notes
From the notes, the distance information is:
- Hubble: “orbits Earth at about 547 kilometers.”
- James Webb: “roughly 1.5 million kilometers from Earth” at the Sun–Earth L2 point.
These two pieces of information are what you need to emphasize a dramatic difference in distance.
Check each choice against the goal and notes
Go through the answer choices and ask:
- Does it mention both telescopes?
- Does it use the distance numbers from the notes?
- Does it clearly show a contrast between the two distances?
Only a choice that does all three will fully match the goal.
Select the sentence that compares both distances
Choice A mentions both Hubble and James Webb, includes both distances (547 kilometers and 1.5 million kilometers), and uses contrast wording like “while” and “a mere” to highlight how dramatically different those distances are. The other choices either ignore distance or talk about only one telescope, so A) While the Hubble Space Telescope circles a mere 547 kilometers above Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope operates about 1.5 million kilometers away at the Sun–Earth L2 point. is the best answer.