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Verbal·Expression of Ideas·Rhetorical Synthesis

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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• A river’s stream length is the length of a line that follows along the river path.
• A river’s valley length is the length of a straight line drawn from the beginning of the river to the end.
• The river’s curviness, or sinuosity, is the ratio of the river’s stream length to its valley length.
• This ratio is less than or equal to 1.5:1 in low-sinuosity rivers and greater than 1.5:1 in high-sinuosity rivers.
• The Red River in Canada has high sinuosity.
• The Neales River in Australia has low sinuosity.

The student wants to compare the sinuosity of the Red and Neales rivers. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?

A

While the high-sinuosity Red River is located in Canada, the Neales River is in Australia.

B

By comparing the stream lengths of the Red and Neales rivers to their valley lengths, one can calculate their sinuosity.

C

The ratio of the Red River’s stream length to its valley length is greater than 1.5:1, exceeding that of the Neales River.

D

In both the Red and the Neales rivers, sinuosity is determined by comparing stream length to valley length.