Point 13 — Rhetorical Synthesis
A set of student notes plus a stated goal (“The student wants to…”).
Two question types:
- Claim-based — the goal’s keywords appear in more than one option.
- Data-based — the goal’s keywords appear in only one option.
Decision framework, claim-based: highlight the keywords in the prompt → confirm keywords appear in several options → read only the relevant notes → categorise the options by trap and eliminate three.
Decision framework, data-based: highlight the keywords → confirm keywords appear in only one option → categorise by trap and eliminate three → verify the survivor against the notes.
Traps to avoid:
- Claim contradiction — the option goes in the opposite direction to what the claim requires. Check the DIRECTION first, before reading any data.
- Half right–half wrong — part of the option uses correct data, another part misrepresents it. Read every sub-clause independently.
- External info / speculation — introduces a causal factor, inference, or data point that is not in the passage or graph. Ask: can I read this off the graph?
- Faulty comparison — compares the wrong variables, groups, or time periods. Identify exactly which two things the claim asks you to compare.
- Irrelevant to claim — factually accurate but does not address the specific claim. Ask: does this address what I am asked to support or complete?
- Over/undergeneralisation — a broader or narrower conclusion than the data justifies. Watch for only, always, never, all.
Recycled word trap — critical words from the notes are reused in an option to lure you in. Watch for critical words placed in irrelevant contexts.
Question 1 of 4
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Harvest is a 1942 black-and-white woodcut print by Japanese American artist Hideo Date.
- It depicts a tranquil, everyday scene (a farmer tending to crops at sunrise).
- Uprising is a 1971 black-and-white woodcut print by Black American artist Elizabeth Catlett.
- It features a scene with an explicitly political point of view (a crowd of protesters marching with raised banners).
- Relief printing is a technique in which an image is carved onto a printing block, covered in ink or paint, and stamped onto paper.
- Woodcutting is a type of relief printing that uses a wood block as the printing block.
The student wants to contrast the subject matter of the two prints. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?