Question 85·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is one of the driest places on Earth; some weather stations there record less than 0.6 inches of rainfall per year.
- Parts of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil receive over 80 inches of rainfall each year.
The student wants to write a sentence that clearly contrasts the amount of rainfall in the two regions. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, always start by underlining the exact writing goal in the question stem (for example, "contrast the amount of rainfall"). Then scan the notes and pull out only the information that directly serves that goal. As you read the answer choices, quickly eliminate any option that (1) doesn’t address all required elements (such as both items being compared), (2) brings in information not supported by the notes, or (3) changes the focus to something other than the stated goal (like location instead of rainfall). Among the remaining choices, pick the one that uses the most specific, relevant details and clearly matches the purpose given in the stem.
Hints
Focus on what the question is asking you to do
Underline the words "clearly contrasts the amount of rainfall in the two regions" in the question. Which details from the notes are specifically about rainfall, and which are not?
Identify the needed pieces of information
From the notes, find the information about rainfall in the Atacama Desert and the rainfall in the Amazon Rainforest. You should see a big difference in the numbers—keep both of those in mind.
Match choices to both regions and to rainfall
Eliminate any choice that (1) does not mention both the Atacama Desert and the Amazon Rainforest, or (2) does not talk about rainfall amounts. Of the remaining options, look for one that highlights how different the rainfall is.
Check for a clear contrast word or structure
Look for a sentence that uses a contrasting structure (such as "whereas" or a similar turn) to set the Atacama’s rainfall against the Amazon’s rainfall, using information that appears in the notes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task in the question stem
The stem says the student wants a sentence that clearly contrasts the amount of rainfall in the two regions. So the right answer must:
- Talk about both the Atacama Desert and the Amazon Rainforest.
- Focus on rainfall amounts, not just location or other facts.
- Show a clear contrast (a strong difference) between the two.
Pull out the key information from the notes
From the notes, identify what matters for this task:
- Atacama Desert: one of the driest places on Earth; some weather stations record less than 0.6 inches of rainfall per year.
- Amazon Rainforest: parts receive over 80 inches of rainfall each year.
The key contrast is between very little rain in the Atacama and a lot of rain in the Amazon, supported by the specific numbers.
Check each answer against the task and notes
Now compare the choices to what you need:
- Choice A: Mentions both regions, but only says they are in South America. It does not mention rainfall or any contrast in rainfall.
- Choice C: Talks only about the Amazon and its biodiversity, which is not in the notes and does not mention the Atacama or rainfall.
- Choice D: Mentions the Atacama’s low rainfall, but says nothing about the Amazon, so it does not create a contrast between the two regions.
You should look for the choice that mentions both regions, uses the rainfall numbers, and clearly shows the big difference between them.
Select the sentence that directly contrasts the rainfall
The remaining choice, B, mentions that the Atacama Desert is extremely dry, giving the figure of less than 0.6 inches of rain annually, and then contrasts this with the Amazon Rainforest receiving over 80 inches of rain each year. This uses relevant information from both notes and clearly shows the contrast in rainfall between the two regions, so choice B is correct.