Question 97·Easy·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
Many cactus species rely on nocturnal pollinators.
Lesser long-nosed bats visit cactus flowers at night, carrying pollen between blooms.
Honeybees transfer pollen among flowers during daylight hours and are far less active at night.
The student wants to emphasize a difference in the timing of pollination between bats and honeybees. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions that ask you to choose a sentence based on notes, first read the question stem carefully to identify the specific goal (compare, contrast, cause/effect, etc.). Then pull out the exact facts from the notes that relate to that goal and summarize them in a few words (here: bats = night, bees = day). Eliminate any answer choice that (1) includes information not supported by the notes, or (2) fails to achieve the stated goal—for example, by mentioning only one item when a comparison is required, or by stating a similarity when a difference is requested. Choose the option that most directly, clearly, and completely fulfills the goal using only relevant note information.
Hints
Focus on what the question is asking for
Underline the words in the question that describe the goal: the student wants to emphasize a difference, and it must be about the timing of pollination between bats and honeybees.
Locate the key details in the notes
Look back at the notes and find the words that tell you when bats and honeybees pollinate (time of day). Think in terms of night vs. day.
Match choices to both the goal and the notes
Eliminate any answer that:
- Mentions only one of the two animals, or
- Does not talk about when they pollinate, or
- Talks about a similarity instead of a difference.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the writing goal
The question says the student wants to emphasize a difference in the timing of pollination between bats and honeybees.
So the correct sentence must:
- Talk about both bats and honeybees.
- Focus on a difference, not a similarity.
- Specifically mention when (time of day) they pollinate.
Pull out the key information from the notes
From the notes:
- "Lesser long-nosed bats visit cactus flowers at night, carrying pollen between blooms." This tells us bats pollinate at night.
- "Honeybees transfer pollen among flowers during daylight hours and are far less active at night." This tells us honeybees mainly pollinate during the day.
So the important contrast is: bats = night, honeybees = day.
Check each choice against the goal and the notes
Now test each answer choice:
- Choice A: Talks about both bats and honeybees, but only says they both move pollen. It shows a similarity, not a timing difference, and says nothing about night vs. day.
- Choice B: Mentions nocturnal pollinators and bats, but not honeybees, and does not compare timing between the two animals.
- Choice C: Gives correct timing information for honeybees, but says nothing about bats, so it does not express a difference between them.
- Choice D: Mentions both bats and honeybees and directly contrasts their pollination times (night vs. day), using information straight from the notes.
The only option that fully meets the goal of emphasizing a difference in timing between bats and honeybees is Choice D: Lesser long-nosed bats pollinate at night, whereas honeybees do so during the day.