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Free SAT Rhetorical Synthesis practice questionsdigital SAT, 2026 format

A student's bulleted research notes and a stated goal ('emphasize…', 'introduce…'). You choose the sentence that uses the notes to meet exactly that goal.

Answer each question, then read why the right answer is right and why the tempting one is wrong.

Question 1

Reading and Writing
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
 
• In 1900, about 40 percent of the U.S. workforce was employed in agriculture.
• Tractors began replacing horses on farms in the 1910s and 1920s.
• By 1950, the share of the workforce in agriculture had fallen to about 12 percent.
• By 2000, it was under 2 percent.
• Farm output grew throughout the century despite the decline in farm labor.

The student wants to emphasize how quickly the change occurred. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Question 2

Reading and Writing
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
 
- The Hōryū-ji temple complex in Nara, Japan, includes a five-story pagoda.
- The pagoda's central pillar was felled, according to tree-ring dating, in 594 CE.
- The pillar does not support the roofs; it hangs from the top and swings freely.
- In an earthquake the stories move out of phase with one another, which dissipates energy.
- The complex has survived more than forty recorded major earthquakes.

The student wants to explain how the pagoda's structure helps it withstand earthquakes. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Question 3

Reading and Writing
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
 
• The Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 in New York City.
• Its main span is about 486 meters long.
• The Akashi Kaikyō Bridge opened in 1998 in Japan.
• Its main span is about 1,991 meters long.
• Both are suspension bridges.

The student wants to contrast the two bridges' lengths. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

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