Rhetorical Synthesis

SAT Reading — Rhetorical Synthesis Questions ## What Makes This Question Type Unique Rhetorical synthesis is a question type unique to the Digital SAT — you won't find it in older SAT prep materials. Instead of reading a traditional passage, you're given a set of bullet-pointed notes that a student wrote while researching a topic. Your job is to choose the sentence that most effectively uses those notes to accomplish a specific writing goal. The question usually says something like: - "The student wants to introduce the paper by stating the main claim. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?" - "The student wants to compare the two findings. Which choice..." - "The student wants to emphasize the surprising nature of the results. Which choice..." ## The Two-Part Test for Every Answer For any rhetorical synthesis answer to be correct, it must: 1. Use accurate information from the notes (no invented details, no distortions) 2. Accomplish the specific goal stated in the question (not just be "good" — it has to do the specific thing asked) An answer can be perfectly true and still be wrong if it doesn't accomplish the stated goal. ## Common Writing Goals | Goal | What to Look For | |---|---| | State the main claim | A single sentence that summarizes the central argument | | Compare two findings | A sentence using contrast language (while, whereas, unlike, but) | | Emphasize a surprising or unexpected finding | Language like "unexpectedly," "surprisingly," "contrary to expectations" | | Describe a cause-and-effect relationship | Language like "because," "as a result," "led to," "caused" | | Provide an introduction…