Question 235·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird, reaching diving speeds over 200 miles per hour.
- The golden eagle can dive at speeds up to 150 miles per hour.
- Both birds use high-speed dives to catch prey in midair.
The student wants a sentence that emphasizes how the peregrine falcon's diving speed compares to that of the golden eagle. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, start by underlining the specific goal in the question (for example, “emphasizes how X compares to Y”). Then scan the notes and mark only the information that directly serves that goal. As you evaluate each answer choice, quickly ask: (1) Does it use the relevant notes, not extra or different information? (2) Does it directly achieve the stated goal (e.g., clearly compare, explain, or emphasize what the question asks)? Eliminate any option that leaves out a key part of the goal (such as one of the things being compared) or drifts into related but irrelevant details (like hunting behavior when the question is about speed).
Hints
Restate the writing goal
Focus on the exact goal: the sentence must emphasize how the peregrine falcon's diving speed compares to the golden eagle's. Which choices actually make that comparison?
Look for the most relevant note
From the notes, which details are specifically about diving speed numbers for each bird, and which are about how they hunt in general?
Check for a clear comparison between two birds
Eliminate any option that doesn’t clearly talk about both birds’ diving speeds. Then, among the remaining choices, which one most clearly shows which bird is faster when diving?
Pay attention to the numbers
Ask yourself which option uses both speed values (over 200 and up to 150 miles per hour) in a way that clearly compares the two birds.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The question says the student wants a sentence that emphasizes how the peregrine falcon's diving speed compares to that of the golden eagle.
That means the correct sentence must:
- Mention both birds.
- Focus on their diving speeds.
- Make the comparison clear (who is faster, and ideally by how much).
Find the most relevant notes
Look back at the notes and underline the parts about speed:
- Peregrine falcon: "the fastest bird, reaching diving speeds over 200 miles per hour."
- Golden eagle: "can dive at speeds up to 150 miles per hour."
- Both: "use high-speed dives to catch prey in midair."
For a speed comparison, the key details are:
- Peregrine falcon: over 200 miles per hour.
- Golden eagle: up to 150 miles per hour.
The third note (about catching prey) is about how they hunt, not how fast, so it’s less important for this specific goal.
Test each option against the goal
Now check each answer choice and ask:
- Does it talk about both the peregrine falcon and the golden eagle?
- Does it use the speed numbers from the notes correctly?
- Does it make the comparison of diving speeds clear, showing that the peregrine is faster?
Go through A, B, C, and D and eliminate any choice that:
- Mentions only one bird,
- Talks about hunting behavior instead of comparing speeds, or
- Mentions “fastest” without directly comparing the diving speeds of the two birds.
Select the sentence that clearly compares both diving speeds
Choice A says that the peregrine falcon dives at more than 200 miles per hour and that the golden eagle tops out around 150 miles per hour, directly comparing their diving speeds and showing that the peregrine is faster.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
Diving at more than 200 miles per hour, the peregrine falcon outpaces the golden eagle, which tops out around 150 miles per hour.