Question

Difficulty: HardRhetorical Synthesis: Emphasizing Specific Details

While researching the fossil organism *Hallucigenia sparsa*, a student took the following notes:
- *Hallucigenia sparsa* is a fossil marine organism first discovered in Canada in 19111911.
- In 19771977, Simon Conway Morris reconstructed the animal as walking on its stiff spines with tentacles along its back.
- In 19911991, paleontologists Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang analyzed Chinese fossils of the species.
- Ramsköld and Hou determined that the reconstruction was upside down: the spines served as defensive dorsal armor, while the tentacles were actually ventral walking claws.
- In 20152015, researchers Martin Smith and Jean-Bernard Caron identified the organism's head, which had previously been mistaken for its tail.

The student wants to emphasize the specific revision made by Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang to the reconstructed function of the animal's spines and tentacles. Which choice most effectively uses information from the given notes to accomplish this goal?

  1. A
    Although *Hallucigenia sparsa* was first discovered in 19111911, it was Simon Conway Morris who first reconstructed the animal in 19771977 with tentacles along its back.
  2. B
    Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang revised the reconstruction of *Hallucigenia sparsa* in 19911991 by demonstrating that the organism's head and tail had been swapped in previous models.
  3. In 19911991, Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang corrected the reconstruction of *Hallucigenia sparsa* by showing that its spines were defensive armor rather than stilts for walking, and its tentacles were claws.Answer
  4. D
    By studying fossils from China, Ramsköld and Hou proposed that *Hallucigenia sparsa* developed defensive armor because it faced intense predation from larger marine species.

Answer

In 19911991, Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang corrected the reconstruction of *Hallucigenia sparsa* by showing that its spines were defensive armor rather than stilts for walking, and its tentacles were claws.
The correct option correctly identifies the revision made by Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang in 19911991, stating that they showed the spines were defensive armor rather than walking stilts and the tentacles were walking claws. This directly satisfies the student's goal of emphasizing their correction of the function of the spines and tentacles.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core rhetorical goal in the prompt.
The goal is to find a sentence that emphasizes the specific revision by Lars Ramsköld and Hou Xianguang regarding the functions of the spines and tentacles.
Understanding the goal allows us to evaluate each option against it.
2
Analyze the notes for the relevant details about the revision.
The notes state that in 19911991, Ramsköld and Hou showed that the reconstruction was upside down: the spines were defensive dorsal armor and the tentacles were actually ventral walking claws.
This establishes the factual basis that the correct option must accurately convey.
3
Evaluate the options to see which one correctly includes these details and meets the goal.
The option starting with 'In 19911991, Lars Ramsköld and Hou...' accurately summarizes their revision to the functions of the spines (armor) and tentacles (walking claws) without introducing unsupported details.
Selecting this option satisfies both the factual accuracy and the rhetorical intent of the prompt.

Key Concept

Rhetorical Synthesis: Emphasizing Specific Details
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