Question 48·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In cities, house sparrows sing at higher minimum frequencies than their rural counterparts.
- The study asked whether urban noise is driving this difference.
- Lead researcher Dr. Lina Patel collected recordings from 18 cities and nearby rural sites.
- A machine-learning tool measured minimum frequency across 12,000 songs.
- On average, city songs’ minimum frequency was 327 Hz higher; the team controlled for temperature and time of day.
The student wants to introduce the study by stating its central research question and how it was investigated. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions that use notes, first read the question stem carefully and underline what the sentence must do (for example, "state the research question and how it was investigated"). Then quickly label the notes by function—such as question, method, results, or evaluation. Eliminate choices that focus on the wrong function (like results when you need method, or opinions when you need facts) or that add ideas not supported by the notes. Finally, choose the option that accurately combines only the relevant notes to satisfy the exact task in the stem, stated clearly in a single sentence.
Hints
Clarify the goal of the sentence
The question asks for a sentence that introduces the study by giving its main research question and how it was investigated. Ask yourself: which choices clearly do both of these things?
Locate the research question in the notes
Look back at the bullets: which one tells you what the researchers were trying to find out? Keep that wording in mind when you look at the answer choices.
Locate the method in the notes
Which bullets describe what Dr. Patel actually did (what she collected and what tool she used)? The correct answer should combine that method with the research question, not focus mostly on results or judgments about the study.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the required elements
The sentence must (1) state the study’s central research question and (2) explain how it was investigated. Avoid choices that mainly report results, offer evaluations, or change key details from the notes.
Pull the research question and method from the notes
From the notes:
- Research question: whether urban noise is driving the urban–rural difference in minimum frequency.
- Method: recordings collected from 18 cities and nearby rural sites, and a machine-learning tool used to measure minimum frequency across 12,000 songs.
Eliminate choices that don’t match the notes and task
- One choice emphasizes the result (327 Hz higher) and suggests an attribution, but it does not introduce the study by clearly stating the research question and how it was investigated.
- One choice replaces the research question with a different one (about temperature/time of day), which the notes present only as variables the team controlled for.
- One choice keeps the general setup but incorrectly says the tool measured maximum frequency instead of minimum frequency.
Select the option that correctly combines question + method
To test whether urban noise pushes house sparrows to sing at higher pitches, Dr. Lina Patel used machine learning to measure minimum frequency across 12,000 songs recorded in 18 cities and nearby rural sites.