Synthesizing Notes
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SAT Reading & Writing › Synthesizing Notes
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
- Pierre de Coubertin helped found the International Olympic Committee in 1894.
- The 1896 Games included 241 athletes competing in 43 events.
- The modern Olympics revived ancient Greek traditions while promoting international athletic competition.
- The Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius” is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
- The ancient Olympic Games were held at Olympia and began in 776 BCE.
The student wants to introduce Pierre de Coubertin and explain his role in launching the modern Olympic Games. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Pierre de Coubertin helped found the International Olympic Committee in 1894, and soon after, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896.
The Olympic motto “Citius, Altius, Fortius,” meaning “Faster, Higher, Stronger,” reflects the movement’s emphasis on athletic excellence and international competition.
The ancient Olympic Games began in 776 BCE at Olympia, and the modern Olympics later revived ancient Greek traditions while adding new international sporting events.
The first modern Olympic Games, held in Athens in 1896, featured 241 athletes in 43 events and promoted international athletic competition modeled partly on ancient Greek traditions.
Explanation
To accomplish the goal of introducing Pierre de Coubertin and explaining his role in launching the modern Olympic Games, the answer must name him, describe his key contribution to the Olympics' organization, and link it to the initiation of the modern era. The correct answer, choice B, combines information from the second bullet about Coubertin founding the International Olympic Committee in 1894 and the first bullet on the 1896 Athens Games, effectively synthesizing these facts to show how his establishment of the IOC directly preceded and enabled the launch of the modern Olympics. This synthesis highlights his pivotal role in reviving the Games on an international scale. A tempting distractor, choice A, draws from the first, third, and fourth bullets to detail the 1896 Games and ancient traditions but omits any mention of Coubertin, making it incomplete for introducing him and his specific role. In synthesizing notes questions, always cross-check that the choice addresses every element of the goal, as options with relevant but partial information can distract from the precise purpose.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Plate tectonics explains how Earth’s lithospheric plates move and interact.
- Alfred Wegener proposed continental drift in 1912, citing matching coastlines and fossils.
- Mid-ocean ridges are sites where seafloor spreading creates new oceanic crust.
- Subduction zones occur where one plate sinks beneath another, generating earthquakes.
- The theory became widely accepted in the 1960s after multiple lines of evidence.
- Earth’s outer core is liquid, contributing to the planet’s magnetic field.
The student wants to explain two key plate-boundary processes described by plate tectonics. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Earth’s outer core is liquid and contributes to the planet’s magnetic field, and plate tectonics explains how Earth’s lithospheric plates move and interact.
Wegener proposed continental drift in 1912, and plate tectonics later became widely accepted in the 1960s after multiple new lines of evidence emerged.
Mid-ocean ridges are where seafloor spreading creates new oceanic crust, and subduction zones are where one plate sinks beneath another, often generating earthquakes as plates interact.
Plate tectonics became widely accepted in the 1960s, and Alfred Wegener’s 1912 continental drift proposal cited matching coastlines and fossils as evidence for moving continents.
Explanation
To explain two key plate-boundary processes described by plate tectonics, the answer must identify and describe specific interactions at boundaries, focusing on their mechanisms and effects. The correct answer, choice B, combines the third bullet on mid-ocean ridges creating new crust via seafloor spreading and the fourth on subduction zones generating earthquakes as plates sink, synthesizing these to outline divergent and convergent processes. This effectively accomplishes the goal by detailing plate interactions. Choice A mentions the fifth on 1960s acceptance and second on Wegener's proposal but discusses history rather than processes, rendering it out of scope. When explaining processes, ensure the choice uses descriptive notes on mechanisms, eliminating historical overviews.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama.
- The boycott was sparked by Rosa Parks’s arrest for refusing to give up her seat.
- African American residents organized carpools and walked to avoid segregated buses.
- Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a prominent leader during the boycott.
- The boycott lasted over a year, ending in December 1956.
- A US Supreme Court decision declared bus segregation unconstitutional.
The student wants to explain how community actions sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Sparked by Rosa Parks’s arrest, the boycott drew national attention to segregation, and a Supreme Court decision ultimately declared bus segregation unconstitutional.
Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as a prominent leader during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which began in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1955.
During the Montgomery Bus Boycott, African American residents avoided segregated buses by organizing carpools and walking, community actions that helped sustain the protest for over a year.
The boycott began in December 1955 after Rosa Parks’s arrest, and it ended in December 1956 following a US Supreme Court decision declaring bus segregation unconstitutional.
Explanation
To explain how community actions sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the answer must describe specific strategies used by participants to maintain the protest over time. The correct answer, choice B, draws from the third bullet on organizing carpools and walking to avoid buses and the fifth on lasting over a year, synthesizing these to show how collective efforts prolonged the boycott. This effectively illustrates sustainability through community involvement. Choice A uses the first and fifth on start and end dates with the sixth on the Supreme Court but focuses on timeline rather than actions, making it out of scope. For action-oriented goals, confirm the choice details methods from notes, avoiding pure chronologies.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The first national parks in the United States were established in the late nineteenth century.
- Yellowstone became the first US national park in 1872.
- National parks aimed to preserve scenic landscapes and wildlife for public enjoyment.
- The National Park Service was created in 1916 to manage the park system.
- Early park policies sometimes displaced Indigenous peoples from traditional lands.
- Today, national parks support conservation, recreation, and scientific research.
The student wants to present the historical development of the US national park system from its start to federal management. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Yellowstone became the first US national park in 1872, and in 1916 the National Park Service was created to manage the growing park system established in the late nineteenth century.
Today, national parks support conservation, recreation, and scientific research, continuing the original goal of preserving scenic landscapes and wildlife for public enjoyment.
The first national parks were established in the late nineteenth century, and today they support recreation and research while preserving landscapes and wildlife for visitors.
National parks aimed to preserve scenic landscapes and wildlife, but early policies sometimes displaced Indigenous peoples from traditional lands that later became protected areas.
Explanation
To present the historical development of the US national park system from its start to federal management, the answer must sequence key establishment events and the creation of oversight. The correct answer, choice B, combines the second bullet on Yellowstone as the first in 1872 with the fourth on the National Park Service in 1916, synthesizing these with the first on late nineteenth-century origins to trace the system's growth to organized management. This effectively outlines the progression. Choice D repeats the first and sixth bullets on origins and modern roles but omits the management milestone, making it incomplete for development. In development questions, prioritize chronological synthesis, using notes to build a timeline.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Impressionist movement emerged in France in the 1870s.
- Claude Monet’s paintings often emphasized changing light and atmosphere.
- Impressionists frequently painted outdoors to capture immediate visual effects.
- Critics initially mocked the movement, but it later gained widespread recognition.
- The first Impressionist exhibition took place in Paris in 1874.
- Post-Impressionists later pursued different styles, including more symbolic imagery.
The student wants to describe a key technique Impressionist painters used to achieve their visual effects. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Impressionists often painted outdoors to capture immediate visual effects, and artists like Claude Monet emphasized changing light and atmosphere to create the movement’s distinctive look.
The first Impressionist exhibition occurred in Paris in 1874, and critics initially mocked the movement before it later gained widespread recognition in the art world.
Emerging in France in the 1870s, Impressionism later influenced Post-Impressionists, who pursued different styles that sometimes included more symbolic imagery.
Claude Monet emphasized changing light and atmosphere, and Post-Impressionists later developed more symbolic approaches that differed from Impressionism’s early reception by critics.
Explanation
To describe a key technique Impressionist painters used to achieve their visual effects, the answer must identify a specific method and connect it to artistic outcomes, with examples if available. The correct answer, choice B, synthesizes the third bullet on painting outdoors for immediate effects and the second on Monet emphasizing light and atmosphere, effectively explaining how this en plein air approach created the movement's distinctive style. This combination highlights the technique's role in capturing transient visuals. Choice A uses the fifth on the 1874 exhibition and fourth on initial criticism but focuses on reception rather than techniques, rendering it out of scope. For technique questions, ensure the choice describes practices directly from notes, eliminating historical context distractors.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique was adapted for laboratory use in 2012.
- Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier published a key 2012 paper describing CRISPR-Cas9.
- CRISPR uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to a specific DNA sequence.
- The technique allows targeted DNA cuts, enabling gene disruption or replacement.
- Doudna and Charpentier received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
- Ethical debates focus on potential human germline editing and unintended effects.
The student wants to explain, at a basic level, how CRISPR-Cas9 targets a specific DNA sequence. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Adapted for laboratory use in 2012, CRISPR-Cas9 uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to a specific DNA sequence, where Cas9 makes a targeted cut that can enable gene disruption or replacement.
CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted for lab use in 2012, and ethical debates about germline editing intensified as scientists considered the technique’s potential applications.
Ethical debates about CRISPR-Cas9 often focus on potential human germline editing and unintended effects, especially as gene-editing tools become more widely available.
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier published a key 2012 paper on CRISPR-Cas9 and later received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020 for their contributions.
Explanation
To explain, at a basic level, how CRISPR-Cas9 targets a specific DNA sequence, the answer must describe the mechanism involving key components and their functions in the editing process. The correct answer, choice A, combines the first bullet on adaptation in 2012, the third on guide RNA directing Cas9, and the fourth on enabling cuts for disruption or replacement, synthesizing these to provide a clear, step-by-step overview of targeting. This effectively accomplishes the goal with foundational details. Choice D mentions the first and sixth bullets on 2012 adaptation and ethics but lacks the mechanistic explanation, making it incomplete. In technical explanations, cross-reference notes for precise components, avoiding choices that pivot to unrelated debates.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting East Asia with the Mediterranean.
- It facilitated exchange of goods such as silk, spices, and precious metals.
- Buddhism spread from India into Central and East Asia partly along these routes.
- Caravan cities like Samarkand became important commercial and cultural hubs.
- The routes were used extensively from about the second century BCE onward.
- Maritime routes later also connected Asia, Africa, and Europe through Indian Ocean trade.
The student wants to explain how the Silk Road contributed to the spread of Buddhism. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Used extensively from about the second century BCE onward, the Silk Road connected East Asia with the Mediterranean and facilitated trade in silk, spices, and precious metals.
Because the Silk Road linked regions across Central Asia, Buddhism spread from India into Central and East Asia partly along these routes, with caravan cities such as Samarkand serving as key cultural hubs.
Maritime routes later connected Asia, Africa, and Europe through Indian Ocean trade, expanding the exchange of goods beyond the overland networks of the Silk Road.
Caravan cities like Samarkand became important commercial hubs, and the Silk Road enabled the exchange of goods such as silk and spices between East Asia and the Mediterranean.
Explanation
To explain how the Silk Road contributed to the spread of Buddhism, the answer must describe the routes' connectivity and their role in cultural diffusion, including specific examples. The correct answer, choice B, synthesizes the first bullet on linking East Asia to the Mediterranean, the third on Buddhism spreading from India along the routes, and the fourth on caravan cities like Samarkand as hubs, effectively showing how trade networks facilitated religious transmission. This combination highlights the cultural impact beyond commerce. Choice A uses the first, second, and fifth bullets on routes and goods but focuses on trade without mentioning Buddhism, making it out of scope. For contribution goals, ensure the choice ties the subject directly to the effect, using notes to spot missing links.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The periodic table was developed in the nineteenth century to organize chemical elements.
- Dmitri Mendeleev published a major version of the periodic table in 1869.
- Mendeleev arranged elements by increasing atomic mass and recurring chemical properties.
- He left gaps predicting undiscovered elements and their approximate properties.
- Later work showed atomic number, not atomic mass, best explains periodic order.
- The table is widely used in chemistry education and research today.
The student wants to describe Mendeleev’s method and how it allowed him to predict new elements. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev arranged elements by increasing atomic mass and recurring properties, and he left gaps in his table to predict undiscovered elements and their approximate properties.
The periodic table was developed in the nineteenth century and is widely used in chemistry education and research today as a tool for organizing chemical elements.
Mendeleev published a major periodic table in 1869, and later work replaced atomic mass with atomic number as the best explanation for periodic order.
Later scientists showed atomic number best explains periodic order, and the periodic table remains widely used in chemistry education and research today.
Explanation
To describe Mendeleev’s method and how it allowed him to predict new elements, the answer must detail his organizational approach and the predictive aspect of his table. The correct answer, choice A, combines the second bullet on his 1869 table, the third on arranging by atomic mass and properties, and the fourth on leaving gaps for undiscovered elements with predicted properties, synthesizing these to explain his innovative method. This effectively shows how the structure enabled predictions. Choice D mentions the second and fifth bullets on Mendeleev's table and later atomic number but omits the prediction process, rendering it incomplete. In method-focused questions, verify the choice details the 'how' using specific notes, eliminating overviews without mechanics.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The Magna Carta was sealed by King John of England in 1215.
- The charter limited certain royal powers and affirmed some legal rights.
- It resulted from conflict between King John and a group of English barons.
- Later generations cited the Magna Carta as a symbol of the rule of law.
- The document was originally written in Latin.
- Several clauses addressed feudal payments and inheritance disputes.
The student wants to explain why the Magna Carta became an enduring symbol of the rule of law. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
After conflict between King John and English barons, the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, and its clauses included rules about feudal payments and inheritance disputes.
Sealed by King John in 1215 after conflict with English barons, the Magna Carta limited certain royal powers and affirmed legal rights, leading later generations to cite it as a symbol of the rule of law.
Later generations cited the Magna Carta as a symbol of the rule of law, and the document’s original Latin text shows how medieval legal writing differed from modern English.
The Magna Carta was originally written in Latin, and several of its clauses addressed feudal payments and inheritance disputes that affected medieval English society.
Explanation
To explain why the Magna Carta became an enduring symbol of the rule of law, the answer must describe its original context and content while highlighting its later symbolic significance. The correct answer, choice A, synthesizes the first bullet on sealing by King John in 1215, the third on conflict with barons, the second on limiting powers and affirming rights, and the fourth on later citations as a symbol, effectively showing how its origins led to enduring legal importance. This combination accomplishes the goal by bridging historical event to legacy. Choice B uses the fifth on Latin and sixth on clauses but discusses textual details without addressing symbolism, making it out of scope. When explaining legacies, look for choices that explicitly connect past to present influence, per the notes.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- The transistor was invented at Bell Labs in 1947 by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley.
- Transistors replaced bulky vacuum tubes in many electronic devices.
- Transistors enabled smaller, more reliable radios, computers, and other technologies.
- Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956.
- Bell Labs was located in New Jersey during the transistor’s development.
- Integrated circuits later combined many transistors onto a single chip.
The student wants to explain why the invention of the transistor was important for consumer electronics. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invented the transistor and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1956 for their work at Bell Labs.
Invented at Bell Labs in 1947, transistors replaced bulky vacuum tubes and enabled smaller, more reliable devices such as radios and computers, making them crucial to the development of consumer electronics.
Bell Labs, located in New Jersey, developed the transistor in 1947, and later integrated circuits put many transistors together on a single chip.
The transistor was invented at Bell Labs in 1947, and integrated circuits later combined many transistors onto a single chip, accelerating advances in computing.
Explanation
To explain why the invention of the transistor was important for consumer electronics, the answer must describe its advantages over prior technology and its role in enabling specific devices. The correct answer, choice B, combines the second bullet on replacing bulky vacuum tubes with the third on enabling smaller, more reliable radios and computers, synthesizing these to show its crucial impact on consumer tech development. This effectively links the invention to practical benefits in everyday electronics. Choice A includes the first on the 1947 invention and sixth on integrated circuits but focuses on later advances without explaining consumer importance, making it incomplete. For explanatory goals, ensure the choice connects invention to outcomes, avoiding sequences that skip the 'why' element.