SAT OwlQuestion bank / Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• For centuries, dyes were made from natural sources.
• Tyrian purple was made from a secretion produced by certain sea snails.
• Thousands of snails were needed to dye a single garment.
• Indigo, a blue dye, was made from the leaves of plants in the genus Indigofera.
• In 1856, William Henry Perkin created mauveine, one of the first synthetic dyes.
The student wants to explain why Tyrian purple was so expensive. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Because thousands of sea snails were needed to dye a single garment, Tyrian purple was extremely expensive.
Tyrian purple was made from sea snails, while indigo was made from plants.
In 1856, William Henry Perkin created mauveine, one of the first synthetic dyes.
Tyrian purple was an expensive dye made from natural sources.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Choice A gives the reason: it took thousands of snails to dye one garment. Choice D says the dye was expensive but doesn't say why, and choice B compares the sources of two dyes.
Choice D states that the dye was expensive but leaves out the reason, which is what the goal asks for.
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