Question 59·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Yellowstone National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1872, making it the first national park in the world.
- The park is located primarily in present-day Wyoming.
- Geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden led a government survey of the Yellowstone region in 1871.
- In his official report to Congress, Hayden urged that Yellowstone be preserved as “a great national park where the people of the whole nation could go and see for themselves the grandeur of [its] scenery.”
The student wants to include a sentence in her paper that explains why Congress decided to create Yellowstone National Park, incorporating a quotation from Hayden’s report. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions, restate the goal (here: explain why Congress created the park and include Hayden’s quoted reason). Then match the answer to the specific note that provides that reason, and eliminate any choice that adds information not in the notes, alters the quotation, or attributes the quotation to the wrong speaker.
Hints
Focus on the question’s goal
Underline the words in the question that describe the student’s goal. What exactly does the sentence need to explain about Congress’s decision?
Find the note that shows a reason
Among the four notes, which one actually tells you why Yellowstone should be preserved or what purpose the park would serve, instead of just giving facts like dates and locations?
Check quotations and attribution
For each answer choice, ask: does the quoted phrase appear exactly in the notes, and is it attributed to the same person who said it in the notes?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The sentence must (1) explain why Congress created Yellowstone National Park and (2) incorporate an accurate quotation from Hayden’s report.
Find the note that gives the reason
Only the last bullet gives a reason: Hayden urged preserving Yellowstone as “a great national park where the people of the whole nation could go and see for themselves the grandeur of [its] scenery.” That quotation is the key evidence for Congress’s motivation.
Eliminate choices that don’t match the notes
- Choice A uses a quotation (“a pleasure-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”) that does not appear in the notes.
- Choice B changes the quotation to “grand” scenery and doesn’t use Hayden’s stated purpose from the notes.
- Choice C attributes Hayden’s words to Congress (“Congress ... stated”), but the notes say the quotation comes from Hayden’s report.
Choose the option that matches the goal and the notes
Choice D correctly connects Congress’s decision to Hayden’s influence and accurately quotes Hayden’s stated purpose. Therefore, the best answer is: Influenced by geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden’s 1871 report, Congress created Yellowstone in 1872 so that “the people of the whole nation could go and see for themselves the grandeur of [its] scenery.”