Question 42·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The literary movement known as Transcendentalism began in the United States in the early 19th century.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson published the essay Nature in 1836, laying the philosophical groundwork for Transcendentalism.
- Henry David Thoreau, a protégé of Emerson, published Walden in 1854.
- Both Emerson and Thoreau emphasized individual intuition and the inherent goodness of nature.
The student wants to highlight how Thoreau built upon Emerson’s ideas. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by underlining the goal in the question stem (for example, “highlight how Thoreau built upon Emerson’s ideas”). Then scan the notes and mark only the details that directly support that goal—usually relationships like influence, cause and effect, or contrast. Next, eliminate any answer choices that simply repeat facts (dates, definitions, general background) without fulfilling the stated goal. The correct answer will usually combine multiple relevant notes and clearly capture the specific relationship or emphasis the question asks for, not just any true statement from the notes.
Hints
Focus on the question goal
Underline the part of the question that states the goal: the student wants to highlight how Thoreau built upon Emerson’s ideas. Ask yourself: which choice shows that one writer’s ideas influenced and were developed by the other?
Use the most relevant notes
Look back at the notes and find the ones that show a connection between Emerson and Thoreau and that describe what their ideas were about, not just when they wrote.
Eliminate answers that don’t show influence
Cross out any choices that only list dates, give general background, or simply say they were similar, without clearly showing that Thoreau developed or expanded Emerson’s ideas.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question asks for a sentence that highlights how Thoreau built upon Emerson’s ideas. That means the correct answer must:
- Show a relationship between Emerson and Thoreau (influence or building on)
- Indicate that Thoreau is developing or expanding Emerson’s ideas, not just copying or sharing them
- Focus on ideas, not just dates or general background facts
Identify the most relevant notes
From the notes, pull out what relates to Emerson’s influence on Thoreau and the content of their ideas:
- Emerson’s Nature “laid the philosophical groundwork for Transcendentalism.” → Emerson starts or shapes the ideas.
- Thoreau was “a protégé of Emerson” and published Walden later. → Thoreau follows and is guided by Emerson.
- “Both Emerson and Thoreau emphasized individual intuition and the inherent goodness of nature.” → This tells us what ideas they shared and could be expanded upon.
Translate the notes into the goal
To “highlight how Thoreau built upon Emerson’s ideas,” a strong sentence should:
- Mention Emerson’s earlier work (and/or his role in shaping Transcendentalism)
- Show that Thoreau was influenced by Emerson (protégé, following his ideas)
- Indicate that in Walden, Thoreau developed or expanded these Transcendentalist ideas, especially about individual intuition and the goodness of nature
Match the answer choice to the goal
Now check which option actually does all of that:
- A just says both contributed to the movement; it doesn’t show that Thoreau built on Emerson’s ideas.
- B only gives publication dates; there is no mention of ideas or influence.
- D says they both emphasized similar themes but doesn’t show that Thoreau built upon Emerson’s work.
- C explicitly says Thoreau was influenced by Emerson’s Nature, that he expanded Transcendentalist ideas in Walden, and that he focused on individual intuition and the goodness of nature. This directly matches the goal and uses multiple relevant notes, so C is correct.