Question 98·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has gathered the following notes:
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space on the STS-7 shuttle mission in 1983.
She earned a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University, where she studied lasers.
After leaving NASA, she co-founded Sally Ride Science in 2001, an organization that develops science programs and materials for students.
In 2003, Ride served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, helping analyze the shuttle disaster.
The student wants to emphasize Ride's commitment to science education following her NASA career. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by carefully reading the task sentence and underlining what must be emphasized (topic and time frame, such as “science education” and “after her NASA career”). Then scan the notes to find the one that directly matches that focus. Finally, select the answer choice that uses that specific note and clearly fulfills the stated goal, and eliminate options that are off-topic (wrong focus) or off-time (wrong part of the person’s life).
Hints
Focus on the goal words
Underline the key parts of the question: “commitment to science education” and “following her NASA career.” Any correct answer must match both ideas.
Locate the most relevant note
Look through the four notes and find the one that mentions something being done for students or related to education programs that happens after her time as an astronaut.
Check each answer against the goal
For each option, ask: Does this show her working to help students learn science after she left NASA, or is it about something else (like research, spaceflight, or accident investigation)? Eliminate options that don’t match.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the writing goal
The prompt says the student wants to emphasize Ride's commitment to science education following her NASA career.
So you must focus on two key ideas:
- Timing: after she left NASA
- Focus: science education, especially work with students or teaching.
Find the relevant note
Look back at the notes and ask: Which note talks about science education, especially for students, after NASA?
The note that stands out is the one about her co-founding Sally Ride Science in 2001, described as an organization that develops science programs and materials for students. This clearly connects to science education and happens after her NASA career.
Match the relevant note to an answer choice
Now compare each answer option to the note you identified:
- Eliminate options that are about space missions, graduate research, or accident investigations if they don’t show a commitment to science education for students after NASA.
- Keep the option that directly reflects Ride’s role in helping students learn science after her NASA career.
The choice that does this is: “After leaving NASA, Sally Ride co-founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to encourage students’ interest in science.”
State the correct answer
The correct answer is D) After leaving NASA, Sally Ride co-founded Sally Ride Science in 2001 to encourage students’ interest in science.
It is the only option that both occurs after her NASA career and clearly emphasizes her commitment to science education for students.