Question 69·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Brit Bennett is an American novelist.
- Her debut novel, The Mothers, was published in 2016.
- The novel is set in a tight-knit African American community in Southern California.
- The Mothers became a New York Times bestseller.
- Bennett’s second novel, The Vanishing Half, was published in 2020 and explores themes of identity.
The student wants to incorporate information from the notes to summarize Bennett’s debut novel. Which choice most effectively fulfills this goal?
For note-synthesis questions in Reading & Writing, start by underlining what the task specifically asks you to summarize (a particular person, work, or idea). Next, scan the notes and group only the details about that target. Then test each answer choice: eliminate any that (1) focus on the wrong subject, (2) combine information about multiple topics when the question asks for just one, or (3) add claims not supported by the notes. Among the remaining choices, pick the one that accurately blends the most important relevant details into a single, clear sentence without extra commentary.
Hints
Focus on the right subject
The question wants a summary of Bennett’s debut novel, The Mothers, not her career in general and not mainly her second novel. Eliminate any option that does not keep the focus on that first book.
Use multiple relevant notes
Look back at the bullet points about The Mothers. Which choice combines more than one of those details (such as when it was published, where it is set, and how successful it was) into one sentence?
Watch for unsupported or extra claims
Check whether any answer says something the notes never mention, such as giving a status to the second novel or stating what a book “does not” do. Those choices should be rejected.
Narrow down between remaining choices
After removing answers that focus on the wrong book or add information not in the notes, see which remaining option is a clear, accurate, and concise summary of The Mothers specifically.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question asks for a sentence that summarizes Bennett’s debut novel. That means the correct answer must:
- Focus on her first book, The Mothers.
- Use relevant information from the notes about that book.
- Not mainly describe the author in general or her second novel.
Identify the key notes about the debut novel
From the notes, pull out only the information about the debut novel, The Mothers:
- It is Bennett’s debut novel.
- It was published in 2016.
- It is set in a tight-knit African American community in Southern California.
- It became a New York Times bestseller. A good summary sentence will combine several of these ideas in a clear way.
Eliminate answers that do not match the task or the notes
Check each option against the task and the notes:
- Any option that mainly discusses the second novel, The Vanishing Half, does not directly summarize the debut novel.
- Any option that talks about both books together or about Bennett in general is not a focused summary of the debut novel.
- Any option that says something not supported by the notes (for example, about what a book “does not” do or claiming a book is a bestseller when the notes never say that) must be eliminated.
Choose the sentence that accurately summarizes The Mothers
Only one option focuses on The Mothers and accurately combines its setting, year, and bestseller status into a single clear sentence without adding unsupported claims. That choice is:
C) Set within a close African American community in Southern California, Brit Bennett’s 2016 debut, The Mothers, became a New York Times bestseller.