Question 58·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by using a nutrient-rich water solution.
- Plant roots can be supported by inert materials such as perlite or coconut coir.
- This method allows precise control of nutrient levels and can increase yields in limited space.
- A 2019 study by Singh and Patel grew lettuce in urban apartments using vertical hydroponic towers.
- The study found that hydroponic systems used about 30% less water than comparable soil-based methods.
The student wants to define the term "hydroponics." Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask you to use notes to define a term, first restate the task in your own words: you need a clear definition, not just any fact. Scan the notes to find the one bullet that explicitly explains what the term means. Then, check which answer choice best matches that defining note, staying focused on meaning rather than examples, benefits, or study details. Eliminate any option that leaves out essential parts of the definition or adds extra information that shifts the focus away from defining the term.
Hints
Focus on the question type
The question asks for a definition of "hydroponics." Which answer choice looks like a definition, rather than an example, a result, or a description of a study?
Locate the key note
Look back at the notes and find the bullet that actually tells you what hydroponics is, not what happens when you use it or what researchers did with it.
Eliminate non-definitions
Cross out choices that focus mainly on materials used, research studies, or benefits like higher yields or less water use. The correct answer should stand alone as a clear explanation of the term.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question asks you to define the term "hydroponics" using the student's notes. That means you need a choice that tells what hydroponics is, not what it can do, what it uses, or how it was studied.
Find the defining note
Scan the notes and ask: Which bullet explains what hydroponics means?
The first bullet says: "Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by using a nutrient-rich water solution." This is a direct definition; the other bullets give supporting details (materials, benefits, study results).
Match the answer choice to the defining note
Now compare each answer choice to that first note.
You want the option that captures the definition from the first bullet—explaining that hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil and involves a nutrient-rich water solution—without drifting into extra details about studies or specific advantages.
Select the best definition
Choice D states, "Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by supplying roots with a nutrient-rich water solution." This directly matches the defining note and clearly explains what hydroponics is, so D is the correct answer.