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Question

Difficulty: EasySupporting Claims with Evidence and Details

Passage:

[1] In the mid-twentieth century, geologist Marie Tharp revolutionized our understanding of the ocean floor. [2] Working with sonar data collected by her colleague Bruce Heezen, Tharp meticulously plotted the topography of the Atlantic Ocean. [3] Her detailed mapping revealed a massive, continuous underwater mountain range with a rift valley running down its center. [4] This discovery provided critical support for the controversial theory of continental drift.

Question:

The writer wants to revise the bolded portion of Sentence 2 ('sonar data') to provide the most specific and concrete detail that emphasizes the immense volume of information Tharp analyzed. Given that all the choices are true, which one best accomplishes this goal?

  1. A
    sonar data
  2. thousands of individual sonar depth soundingsAnswer
  3. C
    charts and records
  4. D
    useful measurements

Answer

thousands of individual sonar depth soundings
The option mentioning 'thousands of individual sonar depth soundings' is correct because it uses a specific quantity ('thousands') and concrete details ('depth soundings') that emphasize the immense volume of information Tharp analyzed.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the specific rhetorical goal in the prompt.
The goal is to choose the option that provides the most specific and concrete detail emphasizing the immense volume of information analyzed.
This establishes the criteria for evaluating the choices.
2
Compare the choices based on specificity and quantitative emphasis.
The option referring to 'thousands of individual sonar depth soundings' is the only one that uses a concrete quantity ('thousands') and a specific noun ('depth soundings') to show the massive scope of Tharp's work.
This determines which choice best fulfills the stated goal.

Key Concept

Supporting claims with specific evidence requires choosing options with concrete details and numbers rather than vague generalizations.
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Topics

Supporting Claims with Evidence and Details

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