Learn / Reading and Writing / Expression of Ideas
Rhetorical Synthesis
I worked these out from the practice questions. Each code says where to start reading, where to stop, what you can skip, and why it is safe.
1. Goal first, notes second
- Start:
- Start with the sentence that begins 'The student wants to...', before any bullet point.
- Stop:
- Stop reading the goal once you can say it as a short checklist, such as 'definition + one benefit'.
- Skip:
- Skip notes that do not match the checklist.
- Why:
- In every practice question, the goal named exactly which notes were needed, and the other notes were only there to tempt you.
Used in questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
2. Count the parts of the goal
- Start:
- Look for the word 'and', or two jobs in the goal, such as 'benefit and risk' or 'finding and limit'.
- Stop:
- Stop when you have counted every job.
- Skip:
- Skip any choice that does only one of the jobs.
- Why:
- Questions 3, 5, 6 and 8 each had two jobs, and each wrong answer did only one.
Used in questions 3, 5, 6, 8
3. Look for the cause AND the result
- Start:
- When the goal says 'explain how' or 'explain why', check each choice for a reason and a result together.
- Stop:
- Stop at the first choice that has both.
- Skip:
- Skip choices that give only the result or only the cause.
- Why:
- In questions 2 and 4, the right answer joined a reason with an outcome, and the wrong answers gave only one.
Used in questions 2, 4
4. Early number plus later number
- Start:
- If the goal says 'growth', 'change' or 'between', hunt for a before and an after in the choices.
- Stop:
- Stop when you see both numbers or both dates.
- Skip:
- Skip choices with only the later number, even if it is big.
- Why:
- Change needs two points. In question 7, the correct choice was the only one with both 1,500 and 9,000.
Used in question 7
5. Catch changed words
- Start:
- Compare strong words in each choice (proved, all, free, no downsides, caused) with the notes.
- Stop:
- Stop when a word is stronger than what the notes say.
- Skip:
- Skip the whole choice once it overstates.
- Why:
- Wrong answers in questions 5 and 8 turned 'a link' into 'proved' and 'small fees' into 'free'.
Used in questions 5, 8
6. Vague means wrong
- Start:
- Read each choice and ask: could this sentence fit any topic?
- Stop:
- Stop as soon as you find one that gives a real detail from the notes.
- Skip:
- Skip sentences with no names, numbers or details.
- Why:
- The vague options in questions 1 and 2 said things like 'many birds have feathers' and 'lamps are important', which teach nothing.
Used in questions 1, 2
7. Two true facts can still be a wrong answer
- Start:
- Check whether a choice answers the goal, not only whether its facts are in the notes.
- Stop:
- Stop when you find the choice that uses the facts for the goal's purpose.
- Skip:
- Skip choices that are true but answer a different question, like the town's population in question 7.
- Why:
- Most wrong choices were accurate. The test is whether they do the job asked.
Used in questions 3, 4, 7
8. Method plus result
- Start:
- Read the goal and look for two linked jobs such as 'how it was collected and what it showed' or 'the advantage and the condition'.
- Stop:
- Stop when you have named both jobs.
- Skip:
- Skip any choice that gives only the method, only the result, or only the limit.
- Why:
- In questions 13 and 16, the wrong choices each gave one half (method only, advantage only, limit only) and the correct choice joined both halves.
Used in questions 13, 16
9. Do not add a cause the notes never give
- Start:
- Look for words such as because, is why, probably, so farmers should, or because of in each choice.
- Stop:
- Stop when you find a cause or advice that no bullet states.
- Skip:
- Skip the whole choice, even if its numbers are right.
- Why:
- Wrong choices in questions 11, 13, 15 and 16 added a reason, a fear or advice, or a cause that the notes left out.
Used in questions 11, 13, 15, 16
10. Compare means two values side by side
- Start:
- When the goal says compare, change or difference, look for a choice that puts both values together or states the gap.
- Stop:
- Stop at the first choice that does this and stays true to the numbers.
- Skip:
- Skip choices that give only one value, even if it is the bigger one.
- Why:
- In questions 12 and 15, the correct choice joined the two numbers or gave the gap (1,500 francs, 120 to 300 kilograms), and the wrong ones gave only one.
Used in questions 12, 15