Rhetorical synthesis
SAT glossary · Reading & Writing
Definition
Items giving bulleted notes and a stated goal, asking which sentence best accomplishes that goal. The skill is matching the answer to the stated goal, not merely to the notes; the trap is a true sentence that serves a different goal.
Rhetorical synthesis in plain English
Rhetorical synthesis questions give you a set of bullet-pointed facts/notes plus a specific stated GOAL (like 'compare two things' or 'explain a cause'), and ask which sentence best accomplishes that particular goal using those notes. The actual skill being tested is matching your answer choice to the STATED GOAL specifically — not just to the raw notes themselves. The trap answer is a sentence that's completely true and well-written, using the correct facts, but that actually serves a DIFFERENT goal than the one the question asked for.
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