Question 46·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The platypus is a monotreme mammal.
- It lays eggs and nurses its young with milk.
- It is native to eastern Australia and Tasmania.
- Adult male platypuses have a venomous spur on each hind leg.
The student wants to describe how the platypus reproduces.
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask which choice best uses notes to achieve a specific writing goal, first underline the goal (for example, "how the platypus reproduces"). Then, scan the notes and label each one by its topic (such as habitat, classification, behavior, or reproduction). Eliminate any answer choices that restate off-topic notes, even if they are factually correct, and choose the option that directly and completely addresses the stated goal using the most relevant note.
Hints
Focus on the task word
Underline or mentally highlight the phrase "describe how the platypus reproduces." What kind of information is the question asking for?
Sort the notes by topic
Look at each bullet in the notes and decide: is it about where the platypus lives, what kind of animal it is, what body parts it has, or how it has and raises young?
Match note to choice
Once you know which note talks about having and caring for young, find the answer choice that directly restates that note.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the goal of the question
Look carefully at the task: "The student wants to describe how the platypus reproduces." This means the correct answer must explain how the platypus has and raises its young, not where it lives or what it looks like.
Decide which notes are about reproduction
Go through the notes and ask what each one is about:
- "The platypus is a monotreme mammal." → classification/type of animal
- "It lays eggs and nurses its young with milk." → how it produces and cares for offspring
- "It is native to eastern Australia and Tasmania." → where it lives (habitat)
- "Adult male platypuses have a venomous spur on each hind leg." → physical feature/defense Only one note clearly describes the reproductive process.
Match the relevant note to the answer choices
Now find the choice that uses the note about reproduction. That is choice C) The platypus lays eggs and nurses its young with milk. This directly describes how the platypus reproduces, so C is the correct answer.