Question 44·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has compiled the following notes:
- Lakeview’s annual summer arts festival was established in 1987.
- The festival attracts about 120,000 visitors each year.
- City economists estimate that the event adds roughly $15 million to Lakeview’s local revenue annually.
- According to historian Marisol Perez, “Since its inception, the festival has been the heartbeat of Lakeview’s cultural identity.”
- According to street-vendor Arjun Singh, “During festival week, my sales triple—it's easily the best time of the year for business.”
The student wants to include a quotation to support a claim about the festival’s positive economic impact on Lakeview. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the exact purpose stated in the question (here: support a positive economic impact and use a quotation). Then quickly scan the notes and label them by type (economic vs cultural vs background, quote vs fact). Eliminate answer choices that either (1) don’t match the requested focus (for example, they talk about culture instead of economics), (2) don’t use the required form (quote vs summary), or (3) add information not given in the notes. The remaining choice should both use the correct note and align precisely with the question’s goal.
Hints
Clarify the goal of the quotation
Focus on the phrase “positive economic impact on Lakeview” in the question. Ask yourself: what kind of information (from the notes) would directly show that the festival helps the local economy?
Separate economic details from cultural ones
In the notes, some details talk about money or business, while others talk about history or cultural identity. Identify which bullet points are about money, revenue, or sales, not just about culture or tradition.
Remember it must be a quotation
The question specifically wants the student to include a quotation. From the notes, find which economic detail is presented as someone speaking, and then look for the answer choice that uses that quotation accurately.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify exactly what the question is asking for
The question says the student wants “to support a claim about the festival’s positive economic impact on Lakeview” and wants to “include a quotation.” That means the correct answer must:
- Use a quote (someone speaking) from the notes.
- Show a positive economic impact (money, sales, business, revenue) on Lakeview.
Any answer that focuses on culture instead of economics, or that doesn’t use a quote, cannot be correct.
Check which notes match the goal
Look back at the bullet points:
- Founding year (1987): background, not economic.
- 120,000 visitors: shows popularity, but not clearly economic or a quote.
- About $15 million in revenue: clearly economic, but it is a fact, not a quote.
- Historian Marisol Perez quote: focuses on cultural identity, not economics.
- Vendor Arjun Singh quote: his sales triple, and it’s “the best time of the year for business,” which is both economic and clearly positive.
So the best supporting detail must come from a quotation that shows improved business or money—not just culture or general information.
Match the notes to the answer choices
Now compare the answer choices to the notes and the goal:
- Eliminate any choice that uses the historian’s quote about cultural identity instead of economics.
- Eliminate any choice that doesn’t actually include a quotation, even if it mentions money.
- Check whether each remaining choice accurately uses the note about improved business (sales tripling) to show a positive economic impact.
Only one option correctly quotes Arjun Singh, describes how his sales triple during festival week, and explicitly ties that detail to a strong boost to local commerce. That choice is:
**Vendor Arjun Singh explains that “during festival week, my sales triple—it's easily the best time of the year for business,” demonstrating the festival’s strong boost to local commerce.