10 original Cross-Text Connections questions, easiest first. Two short texts — work out how the second author would answer the first. Answer them all, then submit once to see every answer explained.
Text 1: Marine biologist Sofia Petrov reports that ocean acidification is reducing the shell density of certain plankton species, which she warns could disrupt the marine food web from its base upward. Text 2: Oceanographer Liam Chen's recent survey of the same plankton populations found shell density had stabilized in areas where local upwelling brought in cooler, less acidic water, suggesting that regional currents may buffer some populations against the broader trend Petrov describes.
Which choice best describes the relationship between the two texts?
D — Text 2 identifies a factor that may limit the scope of the trend described in Text 1.. Chen's finding that upwelling buffers some populations doesn't deny acidification (Text 1's trend) but shows it may not apply uniformly everywhere—identifying a limiting factor, not disproving or merely restating the original finding.
Text 1: Nutrition scientist Carla Mendes claims that plant-based diets provide sufficient protein for most adults, citing data on combined amino acid intake from varied plant sources. Text 2: Dietitian Sam Ostrowski agrees that plant-based diets can meet protein needs but stresses that this requires careful meal planning that many people, especially those transitioning quickly from omnivorous diets, may not initially know how to do.
Which choice best describes how Ostrowski's statement relates to Mendes's claim?
D — It adds a practical caveat about implementation without disputing the underlying claim.. Ostrowski 'agrees' with the core claim but adds a qualification about planning being necessary—a practical caveat, not a contradiction or an unrelated point.
Text 1: Software architect Lena Fischer argues that microservice architectures make large applications easier to maintain because individual components can be updated independently without redeploying the entire system. Text 2: Systems engineer Tobias Klein notes that this same independence often comes at the cost of significantly increased complexity in coordinating communication between the many separate components, a cost that can outweigh the maintenance benefits for smaller applications.
Which choice best describes Klein's response to Fischer's argument?
C — He qualifies Fischer's claim by noting a context where its benefits may not outweigh its costs.. Klein doesn't reject the independence benefit outright; he notes it comes with a complexity cost that can outweigh benefits specifically 'for smaller applications'—a contextual qualification, not a blanket endorsement or rejection.
Text 1: Some economists argue that raising the minimum wage inevitably reduces employment, since businesses facing higher labor costs will hire fewer workers.
Text 2: David Card and Alan Krueger's landmark study of fast-food restaurants found no significant drop in employment after a minimum-wage increase, suggesting that modest raises need not cost jobs.
How would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the argument presented in Text 1?
D — By offering empirical evidence that challenges its central assumption. Text 1 assumes higher wages 'inevitably' cut jobs; Text 2 reports a study finding 'no significant drop in employment,' directly challenging that assumption with evidence. D captures this.
Text 1: Software engineer Talia Brooks argues that open-source software is generally more secure than proprietary software because its code can be reviewed by anyone, allowing vulnerabilities to be found and fixed quickly. Text 2: Security researcher Marcus Webb notes that widespread public access to source code also means that malicious actors can study it just as easily as defenders can, and that the security benefit Brooks describes depends heavily on whether enough qualified people actually take the time to review the code.
Which choice best describes Webb's response to Brooks's argument?
A — He complicates Brooks's claim by noting a condition it depends on.. Webb doesn't flatly reject the open-review benefit; he points out it depends on active review actually happening, and notes attackers benefit from access too—complicating, not simply endorsing or flatly opposing, Brooks's claim.
Text 1: Economist Ravi Mehta argues that subsidizing electric vehicle purchases accelerates the transition away from gasoline-powered cars by directly lowering their upfront cost. Text 2: Economist Greta Lindqvist contends that such subsidies primarily benefit buyers who could already afford an electric vehicle without assistance, meaning the subsidy may shift the timing of purchases already likely to happen rather than converting new buyers.
Which choice best describes how Lindqvist's argument relates to Mehta's?
B — Lindqvist raises a question about how much genuinely new adoption the subsidy causes, which Mehta's framing does not address.. Mehta frames the subsidy as accelerating transition broadly; Lindqvist raises a specific concern about whether it converts new buyers or merely shifts existing buyers' timing—a question Mehta's argument doesn't address, not agreement or an unrelated topic.
Text 1: Sociologist Petra Vogel's survey found that people who regularly attend religious services report a stronger sense of community belonging than those who do not. Text 2: Sociologist Isaiah Brooks points out that people who already feel a strong sense of community belonging may simply be more inclined to attend religious services in the first place, meaning the causal arrow could run in the opposite direction from what Vogel proposes.
Which choice best describes Brooks's argument in relation to Vogel's?
B — Brooks questions the direction of causality that Vogel assumes.. Brooks's point ('the causal arrow could run in the opposite direction') directly challenges Vogel's assumption about which factor causes which, questioning causality rather than agreeing or denying any relationship.
Text 1: Ecologist Miriam Osei reports that invasive lionfish are reducing native reef fish populations across the Caribbean, warning of long-term damage to reef ecosystems. Text 2: Marine biologist Carlos Reyes's recent survey of the same reefs found that native fish populations have stabilized in areas where local fishers have been incentivized to harvest lionfish for restaurant markets, suggesting targeted human intervention may offset some of the damage Osei describes.
Which choice best describes the relationship between the two texts?
A — Text 2 identifies a factor that may limit the scope of the trend described in Text 1.. Reyes's finding that targeted harvesting stabilizes populations doesn't deny the invasive threat (Text 1) but shows the damage may be offset in some areas—a limiting factor, not a refutation or mere restatement.
Text 1: Education researcher Priya Malhotra argues that standardized testing provides an objective, comparable measure of student achievement across schools with vastly different resources. Text 2: Education researcher Owen Castillo counters that standardized tests largely reflect a student's socioeconomic background rather than the quality of instruction they received, since test-preparation resources are unevenly distributed.
Which choice best describes how Castillo's argument relates to Malhotra's?
D — Castillo challenges the assumption that standardized tests measure what Malhotra claims they measure.. Malhotra claims tests provide an objective measure of achievement; Castillo directly disputes this by arguing tests actually reflect socioeconomic background instead—a challenge to the core claim, not agreement or an unrelated topic.
Text 1: Sociologist Bianca Ferro's survey found that people who regularly attend live community events, such as concerts or festivals, report a stronger sense of belonging to their neighborhood than those who do not. Text 2: Sociologist Derek Nolan points out that people who already feel a strong sense of belonging to their neighborhood may simply be more inclined to attend local events in the first place, meaning the causal arrow could run in the opposite direction from what Ferro proposes.
Which choice best describes Nolan's argument in relation to Ferro's?
B — Nolan questions the direction of causality that Ferro assumes.. Nolan's point ('the causal arrow could run in the opposite direction') directly challenges Ferro's assumption about which factor causes which, questioning causality rather than agreeing or denying any relationship.
Score:
Every question above is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted, any wrong option you picked is flagged, and each explanation is open.
No. Every question here is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing specification for the Cross-Text Connections skill. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
Cross-Text Connections gives you Text 1 and Text 2 on the same subject and asks how one author would respond to the other, or how their positions relate. It is the only Reading & Writing question type that requires holding two arguments in mind at once, which is why it is consistently one of the hardest.
Before reading the choices, write each author's claim in your own words in five or six words — "wage rises cut jobs" versus "study found no job loss". Then decide the relationship between those two summaries: agree, disagree, or agree-with-a-qualification. Only then read the choices, and reject any that misstate either author, however well it describes the other.
No, and deliberately so. This drill is 10 Cross-Text Connections questions back to back; a real Reading & Writing module is 27 questions in 32 minutes drawn from all eleven skills. Use a drill to fix one weakness, then take a full module to practice the real thing.
No. The SAT has no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank and a wrong guess both score zero — so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess.