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Set 14: Rhetorical Synthesis (Intermediate)

Explanation

Answer: B

PASSAGE

A student is writing about the medicalization of normal life. The student wants to analyze how ordinary experiences have been transformed into medical conditions. Notes: - Normal sadness is increasingly diagnosed as depression. - Shyness in children may be labeled 'social anxiety disorder.' - Pharmaceutical companies benefit from expanding disease definitions. - Some argue medicalization provides relief; others see overtreatment.

Which choice most effectively uses information from the notes to accomplish the student's goal?

A. Depression diagnosis rates have risen substantially in recent years.
B. Medicalization transforms ordinary experiences into conditions: normal sadness becomes depression, childhood shyness becomes disorder, while pharmaceutical interests drive expanded definitions—sparking debate between those seeing relief and those concerned about overtreatment.✓ Correct
C. Pharmaceutical companies invest heavily in marketing their products.
D. Mental health awareness has increased significantly in recent decades.

Detailed Answer Explanation

This question asks you to effectively combine information to achieve a goal. The goal is to ANALYZE transformation of ordinary experiences. Sadness → depression, shyness → disorder, pharma interests, and debate show transformation. The correct synthesis will use relevant details from the notes in a logical, purposeful way. Focus on what the question asks you to accomplish, then choose the answer that best achieves that goal using the provided information. Effective synthesis requires selecting and combining the most relevant information to achieve a specific purpose. Not all provided notes may be equally useful. Focus on what best accomplishes the stated goal while maintaining logical coherence.

Key Evidence:

• "analyze how ordinary experiences have been transformed into medical conditions"

• "Normal sadness is increasingly diagnosed as depression"

• "Shyness...may be labeled 'social anxiety disorder'"

• "Pharmaceutical companies benefit"

• "provides relief; others see overtreatment"

Why others are wrong: A (Notes diagnosis increase but doesn't analyze transformation.), D (Not in notes; discusses awareness, not medicalization.), C (Mentions pharma marketing but not the transformation analysis.).

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