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Difficulty: MediumMeeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

During a winter trip to New York City in 1902, Mary Anderson observed a trolley driver struggle to see through a sleet-covered windshield. The driver had to repeatedly open his window, leaning out into the freezing air to wipe the glass by hand. Upon returning to Alabama, Anderson sketched her solution: a wooden lever inside the vehicle connected to a rubber blade on the outside. [X]

Resorting to the passage above, the writer wants to add a sentence at the indicated point [X] that emphasizes the immediate skepticism Anderson's invention faced despite its practical utility. Which choice best accomplishes this goal?

  1. Although the design was highly effective, potential buyers rejected the patent because they believed the moving blade would distract drivers.Answer
  2. B
    Her patent for this 'window cleaning device' was granted in 1903, marking a significant milestone in automotive history.
  3. C
    She filed a patent application for the design, which was a simple and elegant solution to a common winter hazard.
  4. D
    Although the design was highly practical, many manufacturing firms refused to license the patent, they feared the swinging blade would distract drivers.

Answer

The correct option establishes the contrast between the invention's utility and the skepticism it encountered, stating that potential buyers rejected the effective design due to concerns over driver distraction.
The correct choice successfully meets both parts of the rhetorical goal: it highlights the device's practical utility by calling the design 'highly effective' and emphasizes the immediate skepticism it faced by stating that potential buyers rejected it out of fear that the moving blade would distract drivers. Furthermore, this option is grammatically correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the prompt to identify the specific rhetorical goals requested.
The added sentence must satisfy two requirements: emphasize the practical utility of the invention and emphasize the immediate skepticism or rejection it faced.
This establishes clear criteria to evaluate the suitability of each option.
2
Evaluate the choices for grammatical correctness.
The choice stating that firms refused to license the patent because they feared the blade would distract drivers contains a comma splice, incorrectly linking two independent clauses with a comma and no coordinating conjunction.
Eliminating grammatically incorrect options narrows the choices to valid sentences.
3
Assess the remaining grammatically correct choices against the rhetorical goal.
The choices detailing the patent's 1903 approval and the simplicity of the solution fail to mention skepticism. The choice stating that potential buyers rejected the effective patent due to distraction concerns is grammatically correct and matches the rhetorical goal perfectly.
This isolates the choice that fulfills all pedagogical and structural criteria.

Key Concept

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals
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Topics

Meeting Specific Rhetorical Goals

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