Question 84·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Mária Telkes (1900–1995) was a Hungarian-American physical chemist who specialized in solar energy.
- She was nicknamed the "Sun Queen" for her groundbreaking work.
- At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she designed the first solar-powered heating system used in the Dover Sun House (1948).
- During World War II, she helped create a compact solar distillation device that turned seawater into drinking water for soldiers stranded at sea.
The student is writing an introductory paragraph for an essay that argues that Telkes's inventions were instrumental in shaping modern renewable-energy technology. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to serve as the essay’s thesis statement?
For thesis-statement questions with notes, first restate the essay’s purpose in your own words (here, to argue that Telkes’s solar inventions helped shape modern renewable-energy technology). Then scan the notes and identify the most important big-picture ideas, especially the person’s role and impact. When you evaluate the answer choices, eliminate any that only list narrow facts, focus on side details (like nicknames), add information not in the notes, or fail to mention the required impact. Choose the option that accurately synthesizes multiple relevant notes into one clear, broad claim that directly matches the essay’s stated argument.
Hints
Identify what the thesis must argue
Focus on the instruction: the essay argues that Telkes’s inventions were instrumental in shaping modern renewable-energy technology. Which choice states that kind of big-picture claim, instead of just listing facts?
Use multiple key details from the notes
Look for a choice that draws on more than one of the notes (for example, more than one invention) and connects them into a single main idea, rather than just repeating one detail.
Check for impact on modern technology
Ask yourself: which option not only mentions what Telkes did, but also clearly links her work to today’s renewable-energy technology or innovations?
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify the task and the claim the essay must make
The prompt says the essay argues that Telkes's inventions were instrumental in shaping modern renewable-energy technology. A thesis statement must:
- Make a broad claim (not just list details).
- Connect Telkes’s inventions to their impact on modern renewable-energy technology.
- Set up what the rest of the essay will prove.
Review the key ideas from the notes
From the notes, we learn that:
- Telkes was a physical chemist who specialized in solar energy.
- She was called the "Sun Queen" for her groundbreaking work.
- She designed the first solar-powered heating system for the Dover Sun House.
- She helped create a solar distillation device that turned seawater into drinking water.
Overall, the notes emphasize that she developed practical solar technologies (heating homes, distilling seawater) that were innovative and influential.
Decide what a good thesis should do with these notes
A strong thesis, based on these notes and the prompt, should:
- Identify who Telkes is.
- Highlight that she pioneered practical uses of solar power (at least more than one type of invention).
- Clearly state that these inventions helped shape or laid the groundwork for modern renewable-energy technology.
It should sound like a big-picture conclusion, not just a list of dates or a reason for her nickname.
Evaluate each answer choice against the task
Choice A: Lists two specific inventions (the solar-heated home and the distillation device) but does not say how they shaped modern renewable-energy technology. It reads like a body sentence with details, not a thesis making the main argumentative claim.
Choice B: Focuses on the reason for her nickname. It does not mention modern renewable-energy technology or explain the impact of her inventions. It also incorrectly simplifies the cause of the nickname.
Choice C: Mentions modern renewable-energy technology, but talks about it being "complicated" and about her "keeping experimenting"—ideas not in the notes and not clearly about her inventions’ impact.
Choice D: Identifies Telkes, mentions her "Sun Queen" nickname, and emphasizes that she pioneered practical uses of solar power (from heating homes to distilling seawater) that laid the groundwork for today’s renewable-energy innovations. This directly matches the essay’s argument and synthesizes multiple notes into one clear, argumentative thesis.
Therefore, the best thesis statement is: Mária Telkes, the Hungarian-American chemist known as the "Sun Queen," pioneered practical uses of solar power—from heating homes to distilling seawater—that laid the groundwork for today’s renewable-energy innovations.