Wagner Prep

Quiz 1.4 — Rhetorical Synthesis

Test yourself on the Rhetorical Synthesis curriculum and your ability to identify, solve, and explain the questions from the deck.

You should be able to answer every question without referring back to the module or the deck. If you get stuck, that section needs another read.

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Part 1

Module Content

Answer in your own words.

1What is the 80/20 Principle as the deck applies it to Rhetorical Synthesis questions, and where in the question does the "20%" usually live?*

Please answer this question.

2The deck's example slides say 'Stop! First read the question and find the 20%.' Why does the order matter? What goes wrong for a student who reads the bullet points first?*

Please answer this question.

3Every answer choice on an RS question uses accurate information from the notes. If accuracy cannot separate right from wrong, what does?*

Please answer this question.

4The coral reef question asks the student "to introduce the scientist and her field of study to a new audience." What makes this goal statement different from the Tubbs goal, and what is the trap built into it?*

Please answer this question.

5How does transition word knowledge from Module 1.2 help on RS questions? Give one word that should make a student skeptical of a choice when the goal is "emphasize a similarity," and two words that point toward the right answer.*

Please answer this question.

6The deck claims 'You can answer this question without the bullet points!' What does that mean in practice, and when should a student actually go back to the notes?*

Please answer this question.

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Part 2

Identify and Answer

Each question below is a real College Board question. Find the goal statement first, then pick the answer that accomplishes it. Solve it, then name the goal type.

7Rhetorical Synthesis (Easy). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Maika'i Tubbs is a Native Hawaiian sculptor and installation artist.
• His work has been shown in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany, among other places.
• Many of his sculptures feature discarded objects.
• His work Erasure (2008) includes discarded audiocassette tapes and magnets.
• His work Home Grown (2009) includes discarded pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood.
The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the two works. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) Erasure (2008) uses discarded objects such as audiocassette tapes and magnets; Home Grown (2009), however, includes pushpins, plastic plates and forks, and wood. b) Like many of Tubbs's sculptures, both Erasure and Home Grown include discarded objects: Erasure uses audiocassette tapes, and Home Grown uses plastic forks. c) Tubbs's work, which often features discarded objects, has been shown both within the United States and abroad. d) Tubbs completed Erasure in 2008 and Home Grown in 2009.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

8Rhetorical Synthesis (Easy). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs.
• Coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems that provide habitats to 25% of all marine species.
• Reefs can include up to 8,000 species of fish, such as toadfish, seahorses, and clown triggerfish.
• The Amazon Reef is a coral reef in Brazil.
• It is one of the largest known reefs in the world.
The student wants to introduce the scientist and her field of study to a new audience. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) Located in Brazil, the Amazon Reef is one of the largest known coral reefs in the world. b) Marine biologist Camille Jazmin Gaynus studies coral reefs, vital underwater ecosystems that provide homes to 25% of all marine species. c) Providing homes to 25% of all marine species, including up to 8,000 species of fish, coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems and thus of great interest to marine biologists. d) As Camille Jazmin Gaynus knows well, coral reefs are vital underwater ecosystems, providing homes to thousands of species of fish.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

9Rhetorical Synthesis (Easy). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Angora wool is a type of fiber that is harvested from rabbits.
• It is known for its long, silky, and soft fibers.
• Angora is often blended with other types of wool to produce warmer and softer clothing.
• China is the world's largest producer of angora wool.
• Angora does not contain lanolin, a natural oil found in sheep's wool that can cause allergic reactions.
The student wants to emphasize the unique advantages of angora wool. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) Angora wool is a type of fiber commonly produced in China and often blended with other types of wool. b) Angora is known for its long, silky, and soft fibers and for being less allergenic than sheep's wool. c) Angora is different from other types of wool because it comes from rabbits rather than sheep. d) China produces most of the world's angora wool, which is a type of fiber that is often used in clothing.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

10Rhetorical Synthesis (Medium). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• The Azores is a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal.
• Historians have long believed that in the fifteenth century Portuguese mariners were the first humans to populate the Azores.
• A 2015 study coauthored by Sofia Gabriel and Maria da Luz Mathias found that Vikings from Scandinavia may have populated the Azores as early as the ninth century.
• The researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and house mice in Scandinavia.
• House mice may have traveled from Scandinavia to the Azores on Viking ships.
The student wants to specify who may have first populated the Azores, according to the 2015 study. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) In their 2015 study, the researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and those in Scandinavia. b) Historians have long believed that the first humans to populate the Azores, a group of islands about 870 miles off the coast of Portugal, arrived in the fifteenth century. c) According to a 2015 study, the first humans to populate the Azores may have been Vikings from Scandinavia, not mariners from Portugal as previously believed. d) Portuguese mariners may not have been the first humans to populate the Azores.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

11Rhetorical Synthesis (Medium). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• In 1897, African American inventor Andrew Beard invented an automatic coupler.
• It improved on the existing design of train car couplers.
• It made the job of connecting train cars safer.
• In 1938, African American inventor Frederick Jones invented a mobile refrigeration system.
• It improved on the existing design of food transport trucks.
• It enabled trucks to carry perishable foods farther.
The student wants to emphasize a similarity between Beard's invention and Jones's invention. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) Jones's mobile refrigeration system, which he invented in 1938, made it possible for food transport trucks to carry perishable foods farther. b) In 1897, Beard invented an automatic coupler, which made the job of connecting train cars safer. c) Beard's automatic coupler and Jones's mobile refrigeration system both improved on existing designs. d) Beard's invention made the job of connecting train cars safer, whereas Jones's invention enabled food transport trucks to carry perishables farther.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

12Rhetorical Synthesis (Medium). While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Oracles of the Pink Universe was a 2021 exhibition at the Denver Museum of Art in Colorado.
• It featured eight artworks by South African artist Simphiwe Ndzube.
• One of these works is a painting titled Assertion of Will.
• Assertion of Will depicts three standing figures.
• The figures wear clothing made of fabric pieces stitched to the painting's canvas.
The student wants to describe how fabric is used in Assertion of Will. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?*

a) In Assertion of Will, the figures' clothing is made of fabric pieces stitched to the painting's canvas. b) Depicting three standing, clothed figures, Assertion of Will is a painting by Simphiwe Ndzube. c) Simphiwe Ndzube's Assertion of Will was one of eight artworks exhibited in Oracles of the Pink Universe at the Denver Museum of Art. d) The exhibition Oracles of the Pink Universe featured artworks by artist Simphiwe Ndzube.

Please select an answer.

Goal type*

Please name the goal type.

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Part 3

Teaching Scenarios

Answer as if you were in the session.

13You put the Tubbs question in front of a new student. They start at the top and carefully read all five bullet points, then look up and say, "Okay, there's a lot here. Can I read it again?" They have not looked at the goal statement yet. What do you do, and how do you break this habit for good?*

Please answer this question.

14On a question where the goal is "emphasize a similarity between the two works," your student picks the choice that describes both works in detail but joins them with "however." When you ask why, they say, "It's the only one that talks about what's actually in both works." How do you redirect?*

Please answer this question.

15On the coral reef question, your student confidently picks choice D because "it introduces the scientist by name." The correct answer is B. What did the student miss, and what habit do you drill so it does not happen again?*

Please answer this question.

16A student takes over three minutes per RS question. You watch them work and notice two things: they try to sound out every researcher's name, and they read all the notes before reading the goal. Their accuracy is fine but they are running out of time at the end of the module. How do you coach speed without hurting accuracy?*

Please answer this question.

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