SAT Rhetorical Synthesis (Easy) English – Real Collegeboard Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

1 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: The calendar used by most of the world (the Gregorian calendar) has 365 days. Because 365 days can’t be divided evenly by 7 (the number of days in a week), calendar dates fall on a different day of the week each year. The Hanke-Henry permanent calendar, developed as an alternative to the Gregorian calendar, has 364 days. Because 364 can be divided evenly by 7, calendar dates fall on the same day of the week each year, which supports more predictable scheduling. The student wants to explain an advantage of the Hanke-Henry calendar.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The Gregorian calendar has 365 days, which is one day longer than the Hanke-Henry permanent calendar.

B. Adopting the Hanke-Henry permanent calendar would help solve a problem with the Gregorian calendar.

C. Designed so calendar dates would occur on the same day of the week each year, the Hanke-Henry calendar supports more predictable scheduling than does the Gregorian calendar.

D. The Hanke-Henry permanent calendar was developed as an alternative to the Gregorian calendar, which is currently the most-used calendar in the world.

2 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Annie Wu is a prominent American flutist who graduated from the New England Conservatory. She has won multiple national flute competitions. She is best known for a 2011 YouTube video that has been viewed over two million times. The video shows her performing Three Beats for Beatbox Flute, an original work by composer Greg Pattillo. Wu combines flute playing and beatboxing in the video. The student wants to emphasize Wu’s most well-known achievement.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Annie Wu, who has won multiple national flute competitions, has also combined flute playing and beatboxing.

B. Among her many achievements, prominent American flutist Annie Wu graduated from the New England Conservatory and has won multiple national flute competitions.

C. Annie Wu is best known for a 2011 YouTube video performance of Three Beats for Beatbox Flute that has been viewed over two million times.

D. Composer Greg Pattillo’s original work Three Beats for Beatbox Flute combines flute playing and beatboxing.

3 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Bioluminescence is the emission of light by living organisms. This light is produced by chemical reactions in organisms’ cells. Jellyfish emit flashes of blue light. This behavior serves to startle predators. Black dragonfish emit a steady red light. This behavior helps them locate prey in deep waters. The student wants to emphasize a difference between the behavior of jellyfish and that of black dragonfish.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Both jellyfish and black dragonfish are organisms that emit light, which is produced by chemical reactions in these organisms’ cells.

B. Black dragonfish emit a steady red light, which helps them locate prey in deep waters.

C. Bioluminescence, the emission of light by living organisms, results from chemical reactions in organisms’ cells.

D. Jellyfish emit light to startle predators, whereas black dragonfish do so to locate prey.

4 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: The painter Frida Kahlo is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. She was born in Coyoacán, Mexico, in 1907. She is best known for her vivid and richly symbolic self-portraits. The Two Fridas (1939) features two versions of Kahlo sitting together. One version wears a European-style dress and the other a traditional Tehuana dress. The student wants to introduce Kahlo to an audience unfamiliar with the artist.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Known for being vivid and richly symbolic, Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits include The Two Fridas (1939).

B. The 1939 painting The Two Fridas is one example of a self-portrait by Frida Kahlo.

C. One painting by Frida Kahlo features two versions of herself, with one version wearing a European-style dress and the other a traditional Tehuana dress.

D. One of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo is best known for her self- portraits, which are vivid and richly symbolic.

5 / 17

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. Beard’s automatic coupler and Jones’s mobile refrigeration system both improved on existing designs.

B. In 1897, Beard invented an automatic coupler, which made the job of connecting train cars safer.

C. Beard’s invention made the job of connecting train cars safer, whereas Jones’s invention enabled food transport trucks to carry perishables farther.

D. Jones’s mobile refrigeration system, which he invented in 1938, made it possible for food transport trucks to carry perishable foods farther.

6 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Archaeologist Dr. Sada Mire founded the Horn Heritage Foundation to preserve the cultural history of regions in the Horn of Africa. Horn Heritage has overseen a preservation project to create 3D digital scans of ancient rock art in Somaliland. Paintings found at the Laas Geel caves are included in the scans. The Laas Geel paintings feature human figures and animals. Paintings found at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves are included in the scans. The Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature what are thought to be the earliest examples of writing in East Africa. The student wants to emphasize a similarity between the Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The earliest examples of writing in East Africa are thought to be featured in the paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves in Somaliland.

B. The paintings at the Dhagah Nabi Galay caves feature examples of writing, while those at the Laas Geel caves feature humans and animals.

C. In Somaliland, the paintings in the Laas Geel caves feature human figures and animals.

D. The Laas Geel paintings and the Dhagah Nabi Galay paintings are both examples of ancient rock art found in Somaliland.

7 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: The Sasanian Empire lasted about 400 years (AD 224 to AD 651). The Sasanians controlled an area spanning 1.4 million square miles. This area included present-day Iran and Iraq. The empire’s capital was the ancient city of Ctesiphon. Ctesiphon was located near present-day Baghdad, Iraq. The student wants to specify the location of Ctesiphon.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The Sasanian Empire began in AD 224 and ended in AD 651.

B. The capital of the Sasanian Empire, which spanned 1.4 million square miles, was Ctesiphon.

C. The Sasanians controlled an area of 1.4 million square miles, including present-day Iran and Iraq.

D. Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sasanian Empire, was located near present-day Baghdad, Iraq.

8 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: NASA uses rovers, large remote vehicles with wheels, to explore the surface of Mars. NASA’s rovers can’t explore regions inaccessible to wheeled vehicles. Rovers are also heavy, making them difficult to land on the planet’s surface. Microprobes, robotic probes that weigh as little as 50 milligrams, could be deployed virtually anywhere on the surface of Mars. Microprobes have been proposed as an alternative to rovers. The student wants to explain an advantage of microprobes.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Despite being heavy, NASA’s rovers can land successfully on the surface of Mars.

B. Microprobes, which weigh as little as 50 milligrams, could explore areas of Mars that are inaccessible to NASA’s heavy, wheeled rovers.

C. NASA currently uses its rovers on Mars, but microprobes have been proposed as an alternative.

D. Though they are different sizes, both microprobes and rovers can be used to explore the surface of Mars.

9 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: A wok is a cooking pan that originated in China during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The wok’s round, wide base helps to cook food evenly. The wok’s high, angled sides help to contain oil splatters. Grace Young is a cook and culinary historian. Her book The Breath of a Wok (2004) traces the history of the wok. The student wants to describe the wok’s shape.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Grace Young’s 2004 book, The Breath of a Wok, traces the history of the cooking pan.

B. Able to cook food evenly and contain oil splatters, the wok is the subject of Grace Young’s 2004 book.

C. A wok is a cooking pan with a round, wide base and high, angled sides.

D. The design of a wok, a type of cooking pan that originated in China during the Han dynasty, helps the pan cook food evenly and contain oil splatters.

10 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: The tundra is a type of environment characterized by especially harsh winter conditions. Winter temperatures in the tundra average a frigid −30 degrees Fahrenheit. Animals that have adapted to these conditions can survive tundra winters. During the tundra’s short growing season, average temperatures can reach a relatively mild 54 degrees Fahrenheit. Around 1,700 different kinds of plants are able to grow in the tundra. The student wants to emphasize how harsh the conditions can be in the tundra.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Winters in the tundra are especially harsh, with temperatures averaging a frigid −30 degrees Fahrenheit.

B. Animals that have adapted to harsh winter conditions can survive tundra winters.

C. There are around 1,700 different kinds of plants that can live in the tundra, where average temperatures can reach a mild 54 degrees Fahrenheit.

D. Along with animals that have adapted to the tundra’s conditions, around 1,700 different kinds of plants can live in the tundra.

11 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: In 2013, paleontology professor Hesham Sallam and his students from Mansoura University in Egypt made a discovery. The team found a partial dinosaur skeleton at a site in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis. The skeleton belonged to a dinosaur species that lived approximately 80 million years ago. The new species was named Mansourasaurus to recognize the team that discovered it. The student wants to explain the origin of the species’ name.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Mansourasaurus, a new species discovered in Egypt in 2013, lived approximately 80 million years ago.

B. A partial dinosaur skeleton found in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis belonged to a species named Mansourasaurus.

C. Mansourasaurus, a species that lived approximately 80 million years ago, was discovered in 2013 by Egyptian paleontologist Hesham Sallam and a team of university students.

D. The new species was named Mansourasaurus to recognize the team that discovered it, a professor and students from Mansoura University.

12 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Novelist Willa Cather grew up in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Some of Cather’s best-known novels are set in Nebraska. Two such novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918). Cather’s novels describe the experiences of immigrants who settled in the Great Plains.

The student wants to identify the setting of Cather’s novel My Ántonia. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. My Ántonia is set in Nebraska, where Cather grew up.

B. Cather, author of My Ántonia, described the experiences of immigrants in her novels.

C. Among Cather’s best-known novels are O Pioneers! (1913) and My Ántonia (1918).

D. Cather attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and set some of her novels in Nebraska.

13 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Yellowstone is a national park in the northwest United States. In 1995, gray wolves were reintroduced into the park. Since then, the number of gray wolves in the park has stabilized at roughly 100. This number is believed to be the park’s carrying capacity. Carrying capacity describes the maximum number of a species that a specific environment’s resources can sustain over time. The student wants to specify the number of gray wolves in Yellowstone.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone, a national park in the northwest United States, in 1995.

B. As of 1995, there were gray wolves living in Yellowstone, a national park in the northwest United States.

C. The carrying capacity of an environment, such as Yellowstone, describes the maximum number of species that the environment can sustain over time.

D. Yellowstone is a national park that has roughly 100 gray wolves living in it.

14 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was a road built between 1792 and 1794. It was the first private turnpike in the United States. It connected the cities of Philadelphia and Lancaster in the state of Pennsylvania. It was sixty-two miles long. The student wants to emphasize the distance covered by the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. The sixty-two-mile-long Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike connected the Pennsylvania cities of Philadelphia and Lancaster.

B. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was the first private turnpike in the United States.

C. The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, which connected two Pennsylvania cities, was built between 1792 and 1794.

D. A historic Pennsylvania road, the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was completed in 1794.

15 / 17

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. The exhibition Oracles of the Pink Universe featured artworks by artist Simphiwe Ndzube.

C. Depicting three standing, clothed figures, Assertion of Will is a painting by Simphiwe Ndzube.

D. Simphiwe Ndzube’s Assertion of Will was one of eight artworks exhibited in Oracles of the Pink Universe at the Denver Museum of Art.

16 / 17

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Muslins are woven cotton fabrics with a variety of uses. Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric produced in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has an extremely fine weave and is primarily used to make luxury clothing. Sheeting muslin is a machine-made fabric produced in factories. It has a coarse weave and is primarily used to upholster furniture and create backdrops for theater sets. The student wants to emphasize a difference between the two muslins.

Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A. Dhaka muslin is a handmade fabric with an extremely fine weave, while sheeting muslin is machine made with a coarse weave.

B. Dhaka muslin and sheeting muslin are two different types of woven cotton fabrics.

C. Muslins can be used in a variety of ways, from making luxury clothing to upholstering furniture and creating backdrops for theater sets.

D. Sheeting muslin is machine made, has a coarse weave, and is used for furniture and theater sets.

17 / 17

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. 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.

B. Portuguese mariners may not have been the first humans to populate the Azores.

C. In their 2015 study, the researchers found a genetic connection between house mice in the Azores and those in Scandinavia.

D. 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.

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About This Quiz

These questions are of Easy Difficulty.

Rhetorical synthesis questions on the SAT English section challenge students to evaluate and integrate information from multiple sources to draw logical conclusions. These questions require students to analyze relationships between passages or interpret data from graphics that accompany texts, then synthesize that information to make connections or assess authorial intent. This type of question goes beyond straightforward comprehension by engaging critical thinking skills that ask students to consider purpose, audience, tone, and the structure of arguments. By mastering rhetorical synthesis, students enhance their ability to understand and respond to complex material, a skill essential for college-level reading and writing. In our rhetorical synthesis quizzes, students will encounter paired passages, passages with associated graphs or tables, and questions that require them to assess and integrate information across these elements. Each question is designed to reflect the SAT format, challenging students to evaluate the effectiveness of arguments, identify how visual information complements text, or determine the best way an author could support their claims. These quizzes not only prepare students for the specific types of synthesis questions on the SAT but also help them develop broader analytical skills that are valuable in academic and real-world settings.

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