SAT Reading & Writing: Cross-Text Connections (Drill 2)

Question 1. Which choice best describes how Text 1 and Text 2 relate to each other?

• A) Text 1 presents a finding and one proposed explanation for it, whereas Text 2 provides evidence that calls that explanation into question. ✓
• B) Text 1 describes a methodology that Text 2 argues is flawed.
• C) Text 1 proposes two competing hypotheses, whereas Text 2 advocates for one over the other.
• D) Text 1 and Text 2 both support the same explanation but emphasize different aspects of the evidence.

Explanation: Text 1 presents Voss's finding (microplastics in deep trenches) and Whitfield's proposed explanation (marine snow transport). Text 2 then challenges the marine snow hypothesis with laboratory evidence showing that plastics detach during descent. This mirrors the structure of the mammoth eDNA question: finding → proposed explanation → complicating evidence. Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 challenges the explanation, not the methodology. Choice C is incorrect because Text 1 presents only one explanation. Choice D is incorrect because the texts don't support the same explanation.

Question 2. Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely regard the situation described in the underlined sentence in Text 2?

• A) As typical of a broader pattern in which historians undervalue oral accounts, especially those from underrepresented groups ✓
• B) As surprising, because Terkel's collections were too popular to be ignored by serious scholars
• C) As justified, because oral histories from working-class subjects are inherently less reliable than written documents, as Text 1 frames the issue
• D) As evidence that Terkel's interview methodology was not rigorous enough to produce credible historical sources

Explanation: Text 1 establishes that oral histories, especially those from marginalized communities, are systematically neglected by mainstream historians. The situation in Text 2 (Terkel's working-class oral histories being ignored by academics) is a specific instance of this broader pattern. The author of Text 1 would see it as typical, not surprising. Choice B is incorrect because Text 1 doesn't suggest popularity affects scholarly attention. Choice C contradicts Text 1's argument. Choice D is incorrect because Text 1 doesn't discuss methodology.

Question 3. Based on the texts, how would Gage and colleagues (Text 2) most likely respond to the view described in Text 1?

• A) By arguing that the adult brain generates new neurons in certain regions, contradicting the assumption that neuron supply is entirely fixed ✓
• B) By conceding that neurogenesis occurs only in young adults and declines with age, partially supporting the traditional view
• C) By suggesting that neuron loss with aging is more rapid than Text 1 indicates
• D) By asserting that brain injury recovery is not related to the production of new neurons

Explanation: Gage's research directly contradicts the traditional view that adult brains cannot produce new neurons. By demonstrating neurogenesis in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb, Gage and colleagues would challenge the foundational assumption described in Text 1. Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't limit neurogenesis to young adults. Choice C is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't discuss the rate of neuron loss. Choice D is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't address brain injury recovery.

Question 4. Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claim made by the advocates discussed in Text 1?

• A) By arguing that digital access, while valuable, cannot fully substitute for the in-person experience and may discourage efforts to improve physical access to museums ✓
• B) By asserting that most people prefer viewing art in person and have no interest in digital collections
• C) By suggesting that museums should stop digitizing their collections and instead focus entirely on reducing admission prices
• D) By conceding that digital images are now of sufficient quality to replicate the experience of viewing art in a gallery

Explanation: Text 2 makes two key arguments: (1) digital access cannot replicate the full aesthetic experience of seeing art in person, and (2) treating digital access as equivalent may reduce pressure to make physical museums more accessible. This directly responds to the advocates' claim in Text 1 that virtual access eliminates barriers. Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't claim people have no interest in digital collections. Choice C overstates Text 2's position, the author doesn't oppose digitization. Choice D contradicts Text 2's central argument.

Question 5. Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Mehta's recommendation in Text 1?

• A) By cautioning that the recommendation may not be well supported because the study's conditions do not reflect the range of environments in which farmers actually grow crops ✓
• B) By arguing that synthetic fertilizers have been proven to outperform mycorrhizal treatments in every soil type
• C) By suggesting that Mehta's study contained significant errors in measuring crop yields
• D) By disputing the idea that mycorrhizal fungi interact with plant root systems at all

Explanation: Text 2 argues that Mehta's study was conducted under conditions especially favorable to the fungi (nutrient-poor sandy soil), and that results vary in other soils. This means the broad recommendation for farmer adoption may be premature because the findings may not generalize. Choice B is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't claim synthetic fertilizers are always superior. Choice C is incorrect because Text 2 doesn't question the data, only its generalizability. Choice D is incorrect because Text 2 accepts that the fungi work, just not universally.