SAT OwlQuestion bank / Rhetorical Synthesis
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• Construction of the bell tower in Pisa, Italy, began in 1173.
• The tower was built on soft ground made of clay, sand, and shells.
• It began to lean during construction, after the second floor was completed.
• Construction was paused for nearly a century, partly because of wars.
• The pause allowed the soil to settle and probably kept the tower from collapsing.
The student wants to explain why the tower began to lean. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Construction of the bell tower in Pisa began in 1173 and was paused for nearly a century.
Because it was built on soft ground made of clay, sand, and shells, the tower began to lean during construction.
A pause in construction allowed the soil beneath the tower to settle, which probably kept the tower from collapsing.
The tower began to lean after its second floor was completed.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
An explanation of why the tower leaned needs a cause. Choice B gives it: the soft ground of clay, sand, and shells beneath the tower.
Choice C explains a cause and effect, but it tells why the tower didn't fall, not why it started to lean.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. This gives dates for the construction but no cause of the lean.
- C. This explains why the tower probably didn't collapse, not why it began to lean.
- D. This tells when the lean began but not what caused it.
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