Question 8·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity using photovoltaic cells.
- Wind turbines generate electricity from the kinetic energy of moving air.
- Both solar panels and wind turbines produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases during operation.
- Solar panel output is highest on bright, sunny days; wind turbines can generate power day and night when wind speeds are sufficient.
- Solar installations require wide, unobstructed areas exposed to sunlight; wind turbines require locations with consistent wind.
The student wants to emphasize a key difference between solar panels and wind turbines. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the task words (e.g., "emphasize a key difference" or "highlight a similarity"). Then quickly sort the notes into "similarities" and "differences" or other relevant categories (cause/effect, problem/solution, etc.). Eliminate any answer that doesn’t match the task type, that talks about only one of the items when a comparison is needed, or that adds information not supported by the notes. Finally, choose the option that most directly and accurately states the required relationship using relevant details about both subjects.
Hints
Focus on the question’s goal words
Underline or note the phrase "emphasize a key difference between solar panels and wind turbines." Make sure the answer you choose clearly shows a difference, not just a fact about one or something they share.
Separate similarities from differences in the notes
Look back at the bullet points and decide: which ones describe how the two are alike, and which ones describe how they are different? The correct answer must be based on one of the true differences.
Check that both technologies are addressed
Eliminate any choice that only really tells you something about solar panels or only about wind turbines. A strong statement of difference will directly connect and contrast the two.
Watch for accuracy and overstatements
Compare each option’s wording to the notes. If a choice exaggerates, adds something the notes don’t say, or changes the meaning, it should not be selected.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question says the student wants to emphasize a key difference between solar panels and wind turbines.
So the correct answer must:
- Talk about both solar panels and wind turbines, and
- Clearly highlight how they are different, not how they are similar, and
- Be directly supported by the notes.
Sort the notes into similarities and differences
Look at what the notes say:
- Similarity:
- Both produce electricity without emitting greenhouse gases during operation.
- Differences:
- How they generate electricity:
- Solar panels: convert sunlight using photovoltaic cells.
- Wind turbines: use the kinetic energy of moving air.
- When they can produce most power:
- Solar output highest on bright, sunny days.
- Wind turbines: can generate power day and night when wind speeds are sufficient.
- Installation needs:
- Solar: wide, unobstructed sunny areas.
- Wind: locations with consistent wind.
- How they generate electricity:
Any correct answer must pick one of these true differences and express it clearly.
Check each choice against the task and notes
Go through the options:
- Ask: Does it clearly state a difference (not just a shared trait)?
- Ask: Does it accurately reflect the notes, without adding claims that are not supported?
- Ask: Does it mention both technologies in a contrasting way, rather than focusing on just one?
Eliminate choices that don’t match
Apply the questions from Step 3:
- Choice B describes something both technologies have in common, so it emphasizes a similarity, not a difference.
- Choice D talks only about solar panels’ installation needs and does not directly contrast them with wind turbines.
- Choice A tries to show a difference in when they can produce electricity, but it:
- Leaves solar’s behavior mostly implied rather than clearly stated, and
- Slightly changes the note’s wording ("whenever winds blow" vs. "when wind speeds are sufficient").
These issues make A, B, and D weaker or incorrect for this task.
Confirm the best-supported, clearest difference
The remaining option is the only one that:
- Explicitly mentions both technologies, and
- Clearly contrasts how they generate electricity, and
- Uses wording directly supported by the notes (moving air vs. photovoltaic cells).
So the correct answer is: Wind turbines generate electricity from moving air, whereas solar panels use photovoltaic cells.