Question 1: Structuring the Synthesis Essay

Give a body paragraph to a single source and all it can do is summarize that source. Do that three times and you get three book reports sitting next to each other, with nobody actually arguing the prompt's question. The fix is to flip the unit of organization: decide on your reasons first, then bring sources in as support. A paragraph built around a reason has a job to do from its first sentence. A paragraph built around a source just has something to describe.

Outlining starts with the claim, then asks what two or three reasons would convince a skeptical reader. Each reason gets its own paragraph. Inside that paragraph, you pull in whichever sources speak to that reason, even if a source ends up supporting two different paragraphs for two different reasons. A paragraph can cite one source or several; what matters is that every citation is there to back the reason, not to get that source checked off a list. This is also what makes commentary possible. When you cite a source to support a reason, you can explain how it supports that reason. When you cite a source because it's your turn to use it, there is nothing left to explain.

This structure is what lets a single paragraph work two sources against each other or in agreement, which is exactly what strong synthesis writing does. It also sets up the sophistication row: once paragraphs argue reasons instead of reporting sources, you can show complexity by weighing sources against each other or acknowledging a counterargument, inside the reason, rather than just listing opinions.