SAT Reading & Writing · Rhetorical Synthesis
A student has researched wastewater disease surveillance and compiled the following notes: - Infected people can shed viral genetic…
A student has researched wastewater disease surveillance and compiled the following notes:
- Infected people can shed viral genetic material into sewage systems.
- Sampling wastewater can reveal community-level infection trends without testing individual people.
- In some outbreaks, wastewater signals have risen before a corresponding rise in reported clinical cases.
- The method cannot identify which specific individuals in a community are infected.
- Rainfall and sewer system design can affect the concentration of viral material detected in samples.
- Genetic sequencing of wastewater samples can help track which virus variants are circulating in a community.
The student wants to explain a key limitation of wastewater surveillance as a public health tool. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
- Infected people can shed viral genetic material into sewage systems.
- Sampling wastewater can reveal community-level infection trends without testing individual people.
- In some outbreaks, wastewater signals have risen before a corresponding rise in reported clinical cases.
- The method cannot identify which specific individuals in a community are infected.
- Rainfall and sewer system design can affect the concentration of viral material detected in samples.
- Genetic sequencing of wastewater samples can help track which virus variants are circulating in a community.
The student wants to explain a key limitation of wastewater surveillance as a public health tool. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: Wastewater surveillance cannot identify which specific individuals in a community are infected, even though it can reveal broader community-level trends.
The goal specifically asks for a limitation, and C is the only choice that names one directly: the inability to identify specific infected individuals, while accurately situating that limitation alongside the method's actual community-level strength. A and D each describe a strength or capability, not a limitation. B names a different capability without addressing any limitation at all.
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