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3.4 Rhetorical Synthesis - Integrating text and data to reach a conclusion
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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

  • British musicians John Lennon and Paul McCartney shared writing credit for numerous Beatles songs.
  • Many Lennon-McCartney songs were actually written by either Lennon or McCartney, not by both.
  • The exact authorship of specific parts of many Beatles songs, such as the verse for “In My Life,” is disputed.
  • Mark Glickman, Jason Brown, and Ryan Song used statistical methods to analyze the musical content of Beatles songs.
  • They concluded that there is 18.9% probability that McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life,” stating that the verse is “consistent with Lennon’s songwriting style.”

The student wants to make a generalization about the kind of study conducted by Glickman, Brown, and Song. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A.

Based on statistical analysis, Glickman, Brown, and Song claim that John Lennon wrote the verse of “In My Life.”

B.

There is only an 18.9% probability that Paul McCartney wrote the verse for “In My Life”; John Lennon is the more likely author.

C.

It is likely that John Lennon, not Paul McCartney, wrote the verse for “In My Life.”

D.

Researchers have used statistical methods to address questions of authorship within the field of music.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: British musicians John Lennon and

Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Rhetorical Synthesis — Integrating text and data to reach a conclusion. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice D is the best answer. The sentence uses information from the notes to make a generalization about the kind of study Glickman, Brown, and Song conducted. Specifically, the sentence indies that the study was of a kind that used statistical methods to address questions of authorship within the field of music.

Choice A is incorrect because the sentence summarizes the methodology and findings of a particular analysis of a single song; it doesn’t make a generalization about the kind of study conducted. Choice B is incorrect because the sentence mentions the data and conclusion of a particular analysis of a single song; it doesn’t make a generalization about the kind of study conducted. Choice C is incorrect because the sentence focuses on a specific conclusion from a particular analysis of a single song; it doesn’t make a generalization about the kind of study conducted.

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