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Difficulty: MediumRhetorical Synthesis: Summarization and Generalization

While researching the Denisovans, a student takes the following notes:
* In 2008, archaeologists found a fossilized finger bone in Siberia's Denisova Cave.
* In 2010, geneticists sequenced DNA from the bone and identified a previously unknown, extinct hominin lineage.
* This group was named "Denisovans" after the cave where the fossil was discovered.
* DNA evidence shows that Denisovans interbred with ancient modern humans, leaving genetic traces in some modern populations today.

The student wants to summarize the discovery and significance of the Denisovans. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A
    Russian archaeologists excavating Denisova Cave in Siberia found a fossilized finger bone fragment in 2008, which they named the Denisovan fossil.
  2. B
    Denisovans are an extinct human group whose DNA can still be found in some modern populations, indicating that interbreeding occurred in the ancient past.
  3. The discovery of a fossilized finger bone in Denisova Cave led to the genetic identification of the Denisovans, an extinct human lineage that interbred with ancient modern humans.Answer
  4. D
    In 2010, geneticists analyzing a finger bone found in Denisova Cave determined that Neanderthals and modern humans did not interbreed.

Answer

The discovery of a fossilized finger bone in Denisova Cave led to the genetic identification of the Denisovans, an extinct human lineage that interbred with ancient modern humans.
The correct answer effectively summarizes both parts of the student's goal: the discovery of the Denisovans (finding the fossilized finger bone in Denisova Cave) and their significance (the genetic sequencing that identified them as a distinct, extinct human lineage that interbred with ancient modern humans).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the student's rhetorical goal.
The goal is to summarize both the discovery and the significance of the Denisovans.
The correct choice must capture both key elements: how they were found (discovery) and why they matter (significance).
2
Evaluate the choices against the notes and the goal.
The option highlighting the discovery of the bone in the cave and the subsequent genetic identification and interbreeding captures all aspects. The other options either omit the discovery, omit the significance, or misstate the facts.
Eliminating options that do not satisfy both parts of the goal leads to the correct summary.

Key Concept

Synthesizing notes to meet a specific rhetorical goal like summarization or generalization.
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Topics

Rhetorical Synthesis: Summarization and Generalization

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