Question 247·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Monarch butterflies migrate each fall from Canada and the northern United States to oyamel fir forests in central Mexico.
- Painted Lady butterflies migrate each spring from North Africa to southern and central Europe.
- Both butterfly species travel thousands of miles during migration.
- Monarch butterflies navigate using an internal compass that senses the sun’s position.
- Painted Lady butterflies take advantage of favorable wind patterns during migration.
The student wants to emphasize how the directions of the two species’ migration routes differ. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by underlining the exact goal stated in the question (here, “how the directions of the two species’ migration routes differ”). Then scan the notes and mark only the pieces of information that match that goal. Next, eliminate any answer choices that focus on unrelated details (such as timing, distance, or method) even if they are factually correct. Finally, choose the option that uses the relevant notes only and most directly addresses the stated goal with a clear comparison or contrast. This targeted approach saves time and reduces confusion from tempting but off-topic choices.
Hints
Restate the goal in your own words
The question wants a sentence that highlights how the routes differ in direction between the two butterfly species. Ask yourself: which choices are truly about direction?
Find the relevant notes
Look back at the notes and underline the parts that tell you where each species starts and where it ends up. Those notes are the ones that deal with direction.
Eliminate choices that ignore direction
Cross out any answer choice that focuses mainly on how far they go, when they migrate, or how they navigate, instead of on the direction of their routes.
Look for explicit directional contrast
Among the remaining choices, look for wording that makes a clear contrast between the direction of each species’ migration (for example, one going in one directional sense and the other in the opposite).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the task in the question
The question says the student wants to emphasize how the directions of the two species’ migration routes differ.
So your answer must:
- Focus on direction of movement (for example, north vs. south), and
- Clearly compare the two species’ routes.
Anything about distance, season, or navigation method is not what the question is asking for.
Locate notes about migration directions
Look at the notes and pick out the ones that describe where the butterflies start and where they end up:
- Monarchs: “migrate each fall from Canada and the northern United States to oyamel fir forests in central Mexico.”
- Painted Ladies: “migrate each spring from North Africa to southern and central Europe.”
From these notes you can infer the directions:
- Canada/northern United States → central Mexico: this is southward.
- North Africa → southern/central Europe: this is northward.
Check each option for focus and relevance
Now compare the answer choices to the task and the relevant notes:
- One choice talks only about distance (thousands of miles).
- One choice talks about navigation methods (internal compass vs. winds).
- One choice talks about seasons (fall vs. spring).
- Only one choice directly contrasts the direction and path of the two migrations, using the locations in the notes.
The correct answer must be the one that contrasts the routes by showing one species going one way and the other going the opposite way, using details from the notes.
Select the answer that contrasts northward vs. southward routes
The answer that best emphasizes how the directions of the migration routes differ is:
Monarch butterflies journey south from Canada and the northern United States to central Mexico, whereas Painted Lady butterflies travel north from North Africa into Europe.
This sentence:
- Uses the note about Monarchs going from Canada/northern United States to central Mexico (a southward journey).
- Uses the note about Painted Ladies going from North Africa to Europe (a northward journey).
- Clearly contrasts south vs. north, directly addressing the question’s focus on differing directions.