Question 70·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah.
- Cross-country travel times fell dramatically—from several months to about a week.
- The new line helped accelerate Western settlement and commerce.
The student wants to emphasize the immediate effect the railroad's completion had on how long cross-country trips took. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the exact goal in the question (for example, “emphasize the immediate effect on how long cross-country trips took”). Then scan the notes to find which bullet(s) directly address that goal. Finally, choose the option that uses only the relevant note(s) and clearly matches the goal, while eliminating choices that are true but off-topic, incomplete, or not supported by the notes. Avoid being distracted by interesting details (like dates, locations, or symbolism) if they do not directly support the stated purpose.
Hints
Restate the task in your own words
You are not being asked when or where the railroad was finished, but what happened to trip length right after it was completed.
Locate the key note
Which bullet specifically talks about a change in how long cross-country travel took? Focus your attention there.
Match notes to choices
Look for an answer choice that clearly links the railroad’s completion to the change in travel time described in the notes.
Eliminate off-topic effects
Ignore choices that talk about symbolism, location, or economic effects if they do not also mention how long trips took.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the writing goal
The question says the student wants to emphasize the immediate effect the railroad's completion had on how long cross-country trips took. So the key ideas you must capture are:
- The completion of the transcontinental railroad.
- The effect on trip duration (travel time) right away. Anything that does not clearly focus on how long the trips took is not fulfilling the goal.
Find the relevant note in the bullet list
Look at the notes and ask: which one is directly about how long cross-country trips took?
- Note 1: about when and where the railroad was completed.
- Note 2: “Cross-country travel times fell dramatically—from several months to about a week.” This is exactly about how long trips took and how that changed.
- Note 3: about Western settlement and commerce. For this question, note 2 is the most important, but you also need to connect it to the railroad’s completion (note 1).
Check which choices mention travel time and completion
Now scan the answer choices for two things together:
- A reference to the railroad’s completion.
- A reference to reduced travel time (from months to about a week). Eliminate any choice that talks only about location, symbolism, or economic effects without saying how long trips took.
Select the choice that matches the goal and uses the right notes
Only one option combines the completion detail from 1869 with the change in travel time from several months to about a week. That sentence directly emphasizes the immediate effect of completion on cross-country trip length: “Completed in 1869, the transcontinental railroad reduced cross-country travel from months to about a week.”