Question 30·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and stored in vegetation, soils, or oceans.
- Mangrove forests can store up to four times more carbon per hectare than most terrestrial forests.
- A 2022 study of Florida’s mangroves tracked carbon accumulation over 25 years.
- The researchers found that restored mangrove sites sequestered carbon at nearly the same rate as undisturbed mangroves after a decade.
- The study suggests that investing in mangrove restoration could play a significant role in mitigating climate change.
The student is drafting an essay that highlights the potential climate benefits of restoring mangrove habitats. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to advance this focus?
For this type of rhetorical synthesis question, first restate the essay’s goal in your own words and quickly scan the notes to mark which ones directly support that goal. Then, compare each choice against those key notes: eliminate options that (1) don’t match the focus (for example, they’re about the general topic but not the specific angle like restoration), (2) introduce new information or stronger claims than the notes provide, or (3) ignore the most relevant evidence. Choose the option that accurately paraphrases the crucial notes and most clearly pushes the essay’s stated purpose forward.
Hints
Focus on restoration, not just mangroves
Underline the essay goal: it is about restoring mangrove habitats, not just about mangroves in general. Which notes specifically mention restored mangrove sites or restoration?
Look for climate benefits through carbon storage
Climate benefits here are mainly shown through carbon sequestration or carbon accumulation. Which notes connect restoration to how well carbon is stored or how it can help mitigate climate change?
Be careful about adding or changing information
Eliminate any answer that makes claims not stated in the notes, exaggerates the results, or adds new conclusions. The correct choice should closely match the wording and meaning of the notes.
Check both relevance and precision
Among the choices that talk about mangroves and carbon, which one both (1) centers on restored mangroves and (2) accurately reports the study’s time frame and findings?
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the task and focus
The question asks which sentence most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to advance the student’s essay focus. The essay’s focus is: “highlighting the potential climate benefits of restoring mangrove habitats.” So the best choice must (1) be about restoration, and (2) connect that restoration to climate benefits, especially carbon storage or sequestration.
Identify the most relevant notes
Look through the bullet points and mark which ones involve restoration and climate impact:
- Note 4: “The researchers found that restored mangrove sites sequestered carbon at nearly the same rate as undisturbed mangroves after a decade.” → About restored sites and how well they store carbon.
- Note 5: “The study suggests that investing in mangrove restoration could play a significant role in mitigating climate change.” → Direct link between restoration and climate change mitigation.
- Note 3 (25-year study of Florida’s mangroves) supports these by giving context to the study.
These are the core notes that tie restoration to climate benefits.
Check each choice for focus and accuracy
Now compare each answer choice to the key notes:
- One choice talks about carbon sequestration being more efficient in mangroves than in other forests. That uses notes 1–2 but is about mangroves in general, not restoration.
- Another choice claims researchers concluded restored mangroves could eventually match undisturbed forests’ carbon storage capacity. That wording goes beyond what the notes say (they only say “nearly the same rate after a decade,” not a prediction about eventual full matching).
- Another choice says restoring mangroves has been studied for decades, but the notes mention a 25-year study of mangroves, not necessarily of restoration, and this says nothing about climate benefits.
- The remaining choice combines the 25-year study with the finding that restored sites and undisturbed sites had similar carbon accumulation rates after ten years, which directly reflects notes 3 and 4 and is clearly about restoration and carbon storage.
Select the sentence that best supports the focus
Because the essay is about the potential climate benefits of restoring mangrove habitats, the best sentence must show that restored mangroves are effective at storing carbon, using the study information accurately. The only choice that does this—by describing a 25-year study in Florida that found comparable carbon accumulation rates in restored and undisturbed mangrove sites after ten years—is:
B) A 2022 study tracked carbon accumulation in Florida’s mangroves for 25 years and noted comparable rates in restored and undisturbed sites after ten years.