FREE SAT Rhetorical Synthesis Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   The 'Great Man' theory of history posits that history is shaped by the actions of exceptional individuals.
*   Historian Thomas Carlyle, a major proponent, argued that 'the history of the world is but the biography of great men.'
*   The Annales School of history, developed in France, counters this by focusing on long-term social and economic structures.
*   Annales historians like Fernand Braudel studied topics like climate patterns and trade routes over centuries.
*   A potential synthesis is that 'great individuals' are often products of the very societal structures the Annales School emphasizes.

The student wants to present a counterargument to the 'Great Man' theory, using information from the notes. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

Accepted Answer

The Annales School, in contrast to the 'Great Man' theory, emphasizes the role of long-term social and economic structures, such as trade routes, in shaping history.

Answer

Historian Thomas Carlyle argued that exceptional individuals are the primary drivers of historical change, a viewpoint known as the 'Great Man' theory.

Answer

Both the 'Great Man' theory and the Annales School offer valid perspectives on how to interpret historical events, one focusing on individuals and the other on structures.

Answer

A more nuanced view suggests that the 'great men' described by Carlyle are themselves products of the societal structures studied by historians like Fernand Braudel.

Question 2

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   Architect Antoni Gaudí is famous for his work in the Catalan Modernisme style.
*   His most famous work is the Sagrada Família in Barcelona.
*   Architect Frank Lloyd Wright is a key figure in the Prairie School movement of architecture.
*   Wright's 'Fallingwater' residence is a prime example of his philosophy of organic architecture.
*   Both architects integrated natural forms and structures into their designs.
*   Gaudí was inspired by the shapes of plants and mountains, while Wright sought to blend his buildings with their natural surroundings.

The student wants to write a sentence that emphasizes a specific, shared design philosophy between Gaudí and Wright, but also notes their distinct approaches. Which choice best achieves this goal?

Accepted Answer

While both Antoni Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright integrated natural forms into their architecture, Gaudí was inspired by specific natural shapes whereas Wright focused on blending the entire structure with its environment.

Answer

Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família and Frank Lloyd Wright's 'Fallingwater' are famous examples of their respective architectural styles, Catalan Modernisme and the Prairie School.

Answer

Both Antoni Gaudí, a Catalan Modernisme architect, and Frank Lloyd Wright, a Prairie School architect, were influential figures in the history of architecture.

Answer

Antoni Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright both believed in organic architecture, using natural forms and structures in their building designs.

Question 3

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   Bioluminescence is the production of light by a living organism.
*   Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light.
*   An organism must have a chemical reaction involving luciferin and luciferase to be truly bioluminescent.
*   Some coral species appear to glow, but they are actually fluorescent.
*   These corals have proteins that absorb blue ocean light and re-emit it as a different color, like green or red.
*   A key distinction: bioluminescence is a created light source, while fluorescence is a converted light source.

The student wants to classify a glowing coral for an audience unfamiliar with the distinction between bioluminescence and fluorescence. Which choice most effectively uses the notes to achieve this?

Accepted Answer

While they appear to produce their own light, some coral species are actually fluorescent, meaning their proteins absorb and convert light rather than creating it through a chemical reaction.

Answer

Bioluminescence, the production of light through a chemical reaction involving luciferin and luciferase, is different from fluorescence.

Answer

Fluorescent corals, which absorb blue ocean light and re-emit it as green or red, are a fascinating example of marine organisms that glow.

Answer

The key difference between bioluminescence and fluorescence is that one is a created light source and the other is a converted light source.

Question 4

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   The theory of Linguistic Relativity, also known as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, suggests that the structure of a language affects its speakers' worldview or cognition.
*   The 'strong' version of the hypothesis claims that language *determines* thought.
*   The 'weak' version suggests that language merely *influences* thought.
*   Most modern linguists have rejected the 'strong' version due to a lack of evidence.
*   For example, just because a language lacks a specific word for a color does not mean its speakers cannot perceive that color.
*   However, many linguists accept the 'weak' version, citing studies showing language can make it easier or harder to think about certain concepts.

The student wants to accurately represent the current scientific consensus on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

Accepted Answer

While the 'strong' version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (that language determines thought) has been widely rejected, the 'weak' version (that language influences thought) is generally accepted by modern linguists.

Answer

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, in its 'strong' form, posits that language determines thought, while the 'weak' form suggests it only influences thought.

Answer

Linguists have largely dismissed the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, as there is no evidence that the language one speaks determines what one can think.

Answer

The theory of Linguistic Relativity is a fascinating idea that the language we speak shapes our perception of reality.

Question 5

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   Skepticism in philosophy is the position of doubting knowledge claims.
*   Pyrrhonian skepticism, founded by Pyrrho of Elis, advocates for suspending judgment (epoché) on all non-evident matters.
*   The goal of Pyrrhonism is to achieve a state of tranquility, or *ataraxia*.
*   Cartesian skepticism, from René Descartes, uses methodical doubt as a tool to find beliefs that are absolutely certain.
*   Descartes famously doubted everything until he arrived at 'I think, therefore I am' as an indubitable truth.
*   Pyrrhonism is a way of life; Cartesian skepticism is a methodological starting point.

The student wants to emphasize a fundamental difference in the *purpose* of doubt for Pyrrhonian and Cartesian skeptics. Which choice most effectively uses the information to do so?

Accepted Answer

While both schools of thought employ doubt, Pyrrhonian skeptics doubt in order to achieve tranquility, whereas Cartesian skeptics doubt in order to find certainty.

Answer

Both Pyrrhonian and Cartesian skepticism involve doubting knowledge claims, but Pyrrho of Elis and René Descartes had different methods.

Answer

Pyrrhonian skepticism leads to the suspension of judgment, known as epoché, while Cartesian skepticism leads to the famous conclusion, 'I think, therefore I am.'

Answer

Skepticism, a philosophical position of doubting knowledge, can be seen as a way of life in Pyrrhonism and as a methodological tool in Cartesianism.

Question 6

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

*   In the 1950s, computer scientist Grace Hopper developed the first compiler.
*   A compiler is a program that translates human-readable source code into machine code that a computer can execute.
*   Before compilers, programmers had to write in low-level assembly language or machine code, which was difficult and time-consuming.
*   Hopper's work on the A-0 compiler, and later FLOW-MATIC, led to the development of COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages.
*   This innovation made programming accessible to a much wider audience beyond just mathematicians and engineers.

The student wants to introduce Grace Hopper by emphasizing the primary consequence of her most significant innovation. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Accepted Answer

By developing the first compiler, computer scientist Grace Hopper dramatically broadened access to programming, making it possible for non-specialists to write computer instructions.

Answer

Computer scientist Grace Hopper was instrumental in the development of COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages, which built upon her earlier work.

Answer

Grace Hopper's invention of the compiler, a program that translates source code into machine code, was a pivotal moment in computer science history.

Answer

Before Grace Hopper created the A-0 and FLOW-MATIC compilers, programmers were forced to use difficult and time-consuming low-level languages.