Question 98·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has collected the following notes:
- Since 2010, more than fifty US cities have introduced public bike-sharing programs.
- Minneapolis launched its Nice Ride bike-share system in 2010 with roughly 1,800 bicycles at 200 stations.
- Surveys of Nice Ride users indicate that they now cycle more each week and drive their cars less.
- City officials credit Nice Ride with easing traffic congestion and lowering vehicle emissions.
- Many participants report that using the bikes makes them feel more connected to their community.
The student wants to craft and support a generalization about the potential benefits of implementing a bike-sharing program. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, start by underlining the task words in the question (here, “craft and support a generalization about the potential benefits”). Then quickly list, in your head or scratch work, the key idea types in the notes (benefits, causes, numbers, dates, feelings). Eliminate answer choices that just repeat numbers, dates, or narrow details without making a broader claim. Among the remaining options, pick the one that both (1) clearly states the kind of generalization the question asks for and (2) directly uses one or more notes as concrete evidence to back that generalization up. This targeted matching keeps you from getting distracted by merely true but irrelevant facts.
Hints
Focus on the goal in the question
The question wants a generalization about potential benefits of bike-sharing, not just any fact from the notes. Ask yourself which choices clearly talk about positive effects.
Separate details from big-picture claims
Some choices mainly give numbers or dates about the Nice Ride system. Others describe outcomes. Which type of information would best support a broad statement about what bike-sharing programs can do?
Connect claim and evidence
Look for an option that first makes a broad claim about bike-sharing programs and then immediately supports that claim with a specific example taken from the notes.
Check relevance of the benefit
More than one positive effect is mentioned in the notes. Think about which effect would best illustrate practical benefits a city might care about when deciding whether to start a bike-sharing program.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the task
The question asks for a generalization about the potential benefits of implementing a bike-sharing program. That means the correct option must:
- Make a broad claim (not just a single fact), and
- Focus on benefits (positive effects), and
- Be supported by information from the notes.
Identify benefit-related information in the notes
Scan the notes for statements that describe positive outcomes of the bike-share:
- Users now cycle more each week.
- Users drive their cars less.
- Officials say it eases traffic congestion.
- Officials say it lowers vehicle emissions.
- Many participants feel more connected to their community.
These are all potential benefits; a strong answer will generalize from some of these and tie them to evidence.
Check which options are generalizations vs. just facts
Now look at the answer choices and ask:
- Does this choice make a broad claim about what bike-sharing programs can do (a generalization)?
- Or does it only give a specific detail (such as how many bikes or stations there are, or one narrow effect)?
Eliminate any option that just reports a fact about Nice Ride or its size without clearly stating a general benefit.
Match the generalization to supporting evidence
Among the remaining options, look for one that:
- States a general benefit (something bike-sharing programs can do), and
- Directly connects that benefit to the survey results or outcomes listed in the notes, using Minneapolis’s Nice Ride as an example.
The only choice that does this is: “Bike-sharing programs can boost physical activity and reduce car dependence, as demonstrated by Minneapolis’s Nice Ride system, whose users reported cycling more and driving less after its 2010 launch.” This generalizes two major benefits (more physical activity, less driving) and backs them up with specific evidence from the notes.