Question 248·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Hybrid vehicles (hybrids) combine a gasoline engine with an electric motor.
Electric vehicles (EVs) rely solely on large battery packs; they contain no gasoline engine.
Both hybrids and EVs reduce tailpipe emissions compared with conventional gasoline-only cars; EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions.
Regenerative braking in hybrids stores energy that would otherwise be lost as heat.
Hybrids can be refueled in minutes at any gas station, whereas EVs require extended charging periods at specialized stations.
The student wants to emphasize an advantage of hybrid vehicles over electric vehicles. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask you to use notes to emphasize an advantage, disadvantage, or specific focus, first underline the key task word (like "advantage"). Then scan the notes to find the one or two bullet points that clearly match that task—especially those with direct comparisons (words like "whereas," "however," or "unlike"). Next, eliminate any answer choices that (1) use unrelated notes, (2) only describe without comparing, or (3) mention both sides but don’t clearly favor the side the question asks about. Choose the option that both accurately reflects the notes and directly fulfills the rhetorical goal stated in the question.
Hints
Focus on the goal word "advantage"
Ask yourself: which note shows hybrids being better than electric vehicles in some specific way, not just different from them?
Look for direct comparison in the notes
Find any note that directly contrasts hybrids with EVs (words like "whereas" often signal this) and see whether that contrast favors hybrids.
Check whether each choice really emphasizes hybrids
Go through the options and eliminate ones that (a) talk about something both vehicle types share, (b) only describe hybrids without mentioning EVs, or (c) contrast them without clearly indicating that hybrids come out ahead.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task: emphasize an advantage
The question is not just asking for any true statement about hybrids or EVs. It specifically wants a sentence that emphasizes an advantage of hybrid vehicles over electric vehicles, meaning it must (1) compare hybrids to EVs and (2) clearly show that hybrids are better in some way.
Locate the relevant note about an advantage
Scan the notes for any point where hybrids are shown as better or more convenient than EVs.
The key note is: "Hybrids can be refueled in minutes at any gas station, whereas EVs require extended charging periods at specialized stations." This directly contrasts the two and clearly favors hybrids on refueling speed and convenience.
Eliminate choices that don’t show a hybrid advantage
Now check each answer choice against the goal:
- If a choice talks about something both types share, it doesn’t show an advantage.
- If it only describes hybrids without mentioning EVs, it doesn’t compare them.
- If it contrasts hybrids and EVs but doesn’t say why one is better, it doesn’t emphasize an advantage.
Use this filter to rule out any choices that are merely descriptive or neutral rather than highlighting a benefit of hybrids over EVs.
Match the choice that uses the advantage from the notes
The correct choice must use the information about quick refueling for hybrids versus long charging for EVs and clearly state that this is an advantage of hybrids.
The only option that does this is:
While electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, hybrids have the advantage of refueling in minutes at any gas station, rather than needing extended charging time.