SAT Reading and Writing · Rhetorical Synthesis Practice Question

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: <ul> <li>The DDT pesticide was widely used after 1945.</li> <li>It greatly reduced mosquito-borne diseases like malaria.</li> <li>Rachel Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring" exposed DDT's environmental harms.</li> <li>DDT accumulated in food chains, weakening bird eggshells and reducing populations.</li> <li>The U.S. banned most uses of DDT in 1972.</li> </ul> The student wants to emphasize the dual legacy of DDT (benefits and harms). Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

Which choice most effectively makes the student's point?

A
$Rachel Carson's 1962 book exposed DDT's harms.$
B
$DDT was widely used after 1945.$
C
$Although DDT greatly reduced mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, it also accumulated in food chains, weakening bird eggshells and prompting a U.S. ban in 1972.$
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D
$The U.S. banned most uses of DDT in 1972.$

Explanation

The goal is the dual legacy. Choice B places benefits and harms side by side and notes the resulting ban. The others give only one side.

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