Question 83·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• In 2014, engineer Carlos Sandoval became fascinated by hummingbirds’ ability to hover and change direction instantly.
• Determined to copy this agility, he spent two years building a drone that mimics hummingbird wing motion.
• Each of the drone’s carbon-fiber wings can beat up to 40 times per second.
• By reversing wing angle mid-stroke, the drone can fly backward and sideways like a hummingbird.
The student wants to begin a narrative about Sandoval’s innovation. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For questions that ask you to choose a sentence based on research notes, first underline the purpose in the question stem (for example, “begin a narrative about…”). Then scan the notes and decide which ones are most relevant to that purpose—often the notes that give motivation, subject, and main action for an introduction. Evaluate each answer choice by asking: (1) Does it match the required purpose and tone (here, a narrative opening)? (2) Does it accurately reflect the notes without adding new information? (3) Does it use the most relevant and informative details rather than a single minor or overly technical point? Eliminate choices that change the subject, ignore the main person or idea, or focus only on narrow details.
Hints
Focus on the task words
Look back at the question: the sentence must begin a narrative and be about Sandoval’s innovation. Which choices clearly introduce a person and what he is creating?
Decide which notes matter most for an opening
Ask yourself: for the first sentence of a story, is it better to start with technical performance details (like how fast wings beat) or with how and why the project began?
Watch for relevance and subject shifts
Check whether each option stays focused on Carlos Sandoval. Eliminate any option that talks mainly about machines without mentioning him, or that talks about people not mentioned in the notes.
Prefer a choice that combines key ideas
Look for a choice that combines more than one important idea from the notes (for example, both the motivation and the project itself), rather than using just a single detail.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task in the question stem
The question says the student wants to begin a narrative about Sandoval’s innovation.
That means the best sentence should:
- Introduce who the story is about (Carlos Sandoval),
- Indicate what his innovation is (a hummingbird-inspired drone), and
- Work well as a story opening, not as a mid-story detail or a side fact.
Identify the most relevant notes for an opening
Look at the notes and think about which ones are most helpful for a first sentence:
- Note 1: In 2014, Sandoval became fascinated by hummingbirds’ ability to hover and turn instantly.
- Note 2: He was determined to copy this agility and spent two years building a drone that mimics hummingbird wing motion.
- Notes 3 and 4: Technical performance details (wing beats per second, backward/sideways flight).
For a narrative beginning, it’s usually best to start with motivation and the start of the project (notes 1 and 2), not with technical specs (notes 3 and 4).
Eliminate choices that don’t match the goal
Now match each option to the task and notes:
- Choice A talks only about how fast the wings beat and that this enables backward flight. It uses only technical details and doesn’t even mention Sandoval, so it doesn’t start a narrative about him.
- Choice B does mention Sandoval and his time spent on the drone, but it doesn’t explain what was special about the drone or why he created it. It uses less relevant detail than we could include for a strong opening.
- Choice C suddenly talks about “scientists” in general. The notes are about one engineer, Sandoval, so this choice changes the subject and doesn’t actually introduce his innovation.
Only one remaining choice clearly introduces Sandoval, ties in his interest in hummingbirds, and shows that he began working on a drone project.
Confirm the best narrative opening
The remaining option, Choice D, introduces Sandoval by name and profession, gives the time (2014), shows his fascination with hummingbirds’ hovering, and states that he set out to build a drone whose wings could move like a hummingbird’s. This uses the most relevant information from notes 1 and 2 and clearly starts a narrative about his innovation.
Correct answer: D) Fascinated by hummingbirds’ remarkable hovering ability, engineer Carlos Sandoval set out in 2014 to build a drone whose wings could beat and maneuver just like the bird’s.