Question 87·Hard·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has compiled the following notes:
• The Nebra Sky Disk was discovered in Germany in 1999 and is dated to about 1600 BCE.
• The disk is made of bronze with inlaid gold symbols representing the sun, a crescent moon, and stars.
• Many scholars regard it as the earliest known concrete depiction of the cosmos.
• Stonehenge, located in England and built between about 3000 BCE and 2000 BCE, consists of massive standing stones aligned with the summer solstice sunrise.
• The exact purpose of Stonehenge remains debated, though its astronomical alignments are well documented.
The student wants to write a sentence that highlights the earliest known human depiction of the night sky. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to achieve this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first underline the stated goal in the question (for example, “highlight the earliest known human depiction of the night sky”). Next, quickly scan the notes to find the one bullet that most directly addresses that goal. Then choose the option that (1) focuses on that exact idea, (2) accurately uses key details from the notes (date, materials, status), and (3) does not introduce extra claims or shift the focus (such as comparing artifacts, adding opinions, or inventing purposes). Eliminate any choice that mentions facts not in the notes or that doesn’t clearly fulfill the specific goal you underlined.
Hints
Match the goal with the notes
Underline the phrase in the question that states the goal: “highlights the earliest known human depiction of the night sky.” Then scan the bullets to find which one mentions something being the earliest known depiction.
Focus on the right artifact
Ask yourself: do the notes ever call Stonehenge the earliest known depiction, or do they give that status to the Nebra Sky Disk? The correct answer should focus on whichever artifact the notes actually describe that way.
Eliminate off-topic or unsupported ideas
Remove any choice that mainly compares both artifacts, emphasizes which is better known today, or adds details about materials or purposes that are not in the notes.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the writing goal
The question says the student wants a sentence that “highlights the earliest known human depiction of the night sky.”
So the correct answer must:
- Focus on one specific artifact as the earliest known depiction.
- Use relevant details from the notes about that artifact.
- Clearly connect it to being the earliest known depiction of the night sky / cosmos.
Find the relevant note
Look at the bullets and ask: which one clearly talks about being the earliest known depiction of the cosmos?
- Nebra Sky Disk notes:
- Dated to about 1600 BCE.
- Made of bronze with inlaid gold symbols of the sun, moon, and stars.
- “Many scholars regard it as the earliest known concrete depiction of the cosmos.”
- Stonehenge notes:
- Built between about 3000–2000 BCE.
- Massive stones aligned with the summer solstice sunrise.
- Purpose debated; alignments well documented.
Only the Nebra Sky Disk is actually described as the earliest known depiction.
Check each answer against the goal and the notes
Now compare each choice to the goal and the notes:
- Does it clearly say which artifact is the earliest known depiction?
- Does it stay true to the notes (no extra or wrong claims)?
Evaluate the options:
- Choice A talks about both Stonehenge and the Nebra Sky Disk and ends by saying Stonehenge’s alignments are better known. It does not highlight a single earliest depiction.
- Choice C says Stonehenge is the clearest early representation of the night sky, but the notes never state that; the notes only say its alignments are documented and its purpose is debated.
- Choice D calls Stonehenge bronze and gold and says it’s humanity’s first map of the heavens. None of that appears in the notes; it’s unsupported and inaccurate based on the notes.
- Choice B focuses on the Nebra Sky Disk, correctly mentions bronze and inlaid gold images (sun, moon, stars), includes the date, and states that it is widely considered the earliest known human depiction of the cosmos, directly matching the note and the goal.
Therefore, the best answer is: The Nebra Sky Disk, a bronze artifact inlaid with gold images of the sun, moon, and stars and dating to about 1600 BCE, is widely considered the earliest known human depiction of the cosmos.