Question 60·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
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The Riverbend Museum of Art is in Larkfield. The museum’s annual attendance is 820,000. This is 41 percent of all museum visits in Larkfield.
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The Grand National Museum is in Port Alder. The museum’s annual attendance is 2,100,000. This is 16 percent of all museum visits in Port Alder.
The student wants to emphasize how the museums’ absolute attendances compare with the proportions they represent of their cities’ total museum visits. Which choice most effectively uses information from the notes to emphasize this comparison?
For rhetorical synthesis, restate the goal in your own words (here: highlight the contrast between total visitors and percent of city museum visits). Then pick the option that (1) uses the correct note facts and (2) explicitly frames the intended relationship—usually with contrast wording like “although” or “but,” rather than merely listing statistics.
Hints
Name the two things you must compare
The question asks for a comparison between raw visitor totals and percent of city museum visits. Make sure the best choice connects both kinds of information.
Look for a sentence that highlights a “surprising” contrast
A strong answer will do more than list numbers; it will show something like “more visitors overall, but smaller percentage” (or the reverse).
Watch out for two common traps
Eliminate choices that (1) mix up which percentage belongs to which city/museum, or (2) draw a conclusion about the cities that isn’t stated in the notes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the specific comparison the sentence must emphasize
The goal is not just to report statistics, but to emphasize a contrast between:
- Absolute attendance (820,000 vs. 2,100,000), and
- Share of city museum visits (41 percent vs. 16 percent).
So the best option should directly connect these two ideas (more visitors overall vs. larger share of the city’s visits).
Check which choice actually states the contrast
Evaluate what each option does with the numbers and percentages:
- Choice A includes all four figures, but it mostly lists them rather than stressing the surprising relationship (more visitors but smaller share).
- Choice B uses a contrast structure, but it switches the percentages, contradicting the notes.
- Choice D uses the percentages to claim something about the cities’ total visits, but that conclusion is not supported by the notes.
Only one choice both uses the correct data and explicitly frames the intended contrast between total visitors and share of city visits.
Select the choice that best emphasizes the intended comparison
Although the Grand National Museum (2,100,000 visitors annually) draws more visitors than the Riverbend Museum of Art (820,000), the Riverbend Museum accounts for a larger share of its city's museum attendance (41 percent versus 16 percent).