Question 248·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Alicia Alonso was a Cuban ballerina.
She danced the lead role in Giselle beginning in 1943.
Her vision deteriorated rapidly, and by the mid-1940s she was almost completely blind.
Alonso continued to perform by memorizing every position and musical cue on stage.
In 1948, she founded the National Ballet of Cuba.
The student wants to illustrate Alonso’s determination to keep performing despite adversity. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions using research notes, first read the task in the question stem and underline the specific purpose (for example, "illustrate determination despite adversity"). Then scan the notes to find only the pieces of information that match that purpose, and eliminate any answer choice that (1) leaves out a key part of the goal, like the adversity, or (2) adds uncited information that doesn’t appear in the notes. Choose the sentence that uses the most relevant notes and directly fulfills the stated goal, even if other options contain true but less relevant details.
Hints
Restate the goal
The best choice must show both a hardship Alonso faced and evidence that she kept performing anyway.
Use the most relevant notes
Look for the notes about her worsening vision and the specific method she used to continue performing on stage.
Eliminate off-goal details
Cross out choices that only mention career achievements or dates but don’t clearly show her perseverance through a challenge.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the writing goal
The question says the student wants to "illustrate Alonso’s determination to keep performing despite adversity." That means the best sentence must do both of these:
- Show a serious difficulty or obstacle (adversity).
- Show that she kept performing anyway (determination).
Pick out the relevant notes
Look back at the notes and find which ones show adversity and which show continuing to perform:
- "Her vision deteriorated rapidly, and by the mid-1940s she was almost completely blind." → adversity.
- "Alonso continued to perform by memorizing every position and musical cue on stage." → determination to keep performing. The best answer should connect these two ideas directly.
Check each option against the goal
Now compare the answer choices to the goal:
- Does the choice mention a serious challenge Alonso faced?
- Does it show that she kept performing anyway, not just that she was important or famous? Eliminate any sentence that only talks about her success, status, or background without clearly showing her overcoming difficulty to keep performing.
Select the sentence that shows both adversity and perseverance
The sentence that best matches the goal is: "Nearly blind by the mid-1940s, Alonso kept performing by memorizing each position and musical cue." It includes both the adversity (near blindness) and her determination to continue performing (memorizing positions and cues), so it most effectively accomplishes the student’s purpose.