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Rhetorical Synthesis SAT question

Reading and Writing · Expression of Ideas · Hard · Answer it here, explanation included.

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

  • Archaeologist Jon Erlandson and colleagues argue that humans first arrived in the Americas by sea.
  • They propose that humans traveled between Pacific Ocean islands and coastlines from northeast Asia to the Americas.
  • Many of these islands and coastal zones were later submerged as glaciers melted and sea levels rose.
  • The researchers think that “a coastal route, including kelp forests and estuaries, would have provided a rich mix of marine, estuarine, riverine, and terrestrial resources” such as seaweeds, fish, and birds.
  • This proposed scenario is known as the kelp highway hypothesis.

The student wants to summarize the kelp highway hypothesis. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

ExplanationShow

Choice C is the best answer. This choice summarizes the main idea of the kelp highway hypothesis, providing a high-level overview of how the hypothesis explains human migration to the Americas.

Choice A is incorrect. This choice describes one aspect of the proposed scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration, which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis. Choice B is incorrect. This choice introduces the kelp highway hypothesis but doesn’t explain what it entails. Choice D is incorrect. This choice describes one element of the proposed scenario but doesn’t discuss human migration, which is the main focus of the kelp highway hypothesis.

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