16Hit1600
Expression of IdeasMediumRhetorical synthesis

Expression of Ideas practice question

A student took these notes: • The Great Barrier Reef is off the coast of Australia. • It stretches over 1,400 miles. • It is the world's largest coral reef system. • It is home to more than 1,500 species of fish.

The student wants to introduce the Great Barrier Reef to an audience unfamiliar with it. Which choice most effectively accomplishes this goal?

  1. A. It is home to more than 1,500 species of fish.
  2. B. The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 1,400 miles.Correct
  3. C. It stretches over 1,400 miles.
  4. D. More than 1,500 species of fish live there.

Answer: B. The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system, stretching over 1,400 miles.

An introduction for an unfamiliar audience should name and place the subject. Only B identifies what the reef is and where it is; the others start with 'it' or a bare detail, assuming the reader already knows the subject.

Why the other answers are wrong

A. It is home to more than 1,500 species of fish.
Starting with 'It' assumes your reader already knows what you're talking about — an introduction has to name the subject first.
C. It stretches over 1,400 miles.
Besides starting with 'It,' this gives only a measurement, never telling an unfamiliar reader what the Great Barrier Reef is or where it is.
D. More than 1,500 species of fish live there.
This detail about fish is accurate, but it never names or locates the reef, which is what an audience meeting it for the first time needs.

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