Question ID 841a15d0

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 841a15d0

Text 1
Films and television shows commonly include a long list of credits naming the people involved in a production. Credit sequences may not be
exciting, but they generally ensure that everyone’s contributions are duly acknowledged. Because they are highly standardized, film and television
credits are also valuable to anyone researching the careers of pioneering cast and crew members who have worked in the mediums.

Text 2
Video game scholars face a major challenge in the industry’s failure to consistently credit the artists, designers, and other contributors involved in
making video games. Without a reliable record of which people worked on which games, questions about the medium’s development can be
difficult to answer, and the accomplishments of all but its best-known innovators can be difficult to trace.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the discussion in Text 2?
A. By recommending that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 consider employing the methods regularly used by film and television researchers

B. By pointing out that credits have a different intended purpose in film and television than in the medium addressed by the scholars mentioned in
Text 2

C. By suggesting that the scholars mentioned in Text 2 rely more heavily on credits as a source of information than film and television researchers
do

D. By observing that a widespread practice in film and television largely prevents the kind of problem faced by the scholars mentioned in Text 2
Question ID 362e987f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Medium

Connections

ID: 362e987f

Text 1
In a study of the benefits of having free time, Marissa Sharif found that the reported sense of life satisfaction tended to plateau when participants
had two hours of free time per day and actually began to fall when they had five hours of free time per day. After further research, Sharif concluded
that this dip in life satisfaction mainly occurred when individuals spent all their free time unproductively, such as by watching TV or playing games.

Text 2
Psychologist James Maddux cautions against suggesting an ideal amount of free time. The human desire for both free time and productivity is
universal, but Maddux asserts that individuals have unique needs for life satisfaction. Furthermore, he points out that there is no objective definition
for what constitutes productivity; reading a book might be considered a productive activity by some, but idleness by others.

Based on the texts, how would Maddux (Text 2) most likely respond to the conclusion Sharif (Text 1) reached after her further research?
A. By acknowledging that free time is more likely to enhance life satisfaction when it is spent productively than when it is spent unproductively

B. By challenging the reasoning in Text 1, as it has not been proved that productivity commonly contributes to individuals’ life satisfaction

C. By warning against making an overly broad assumption, as there is no clear consensus in distinguishing between productive and unproductive
activities

D. By claiming that the specific activities named in Text 1 are actually examples of productive activities rather than unproductive ones
Question ID 1a44da89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Medium

Connections

ID: 1a44da89

Text 1
A tiny, unusual fossil in a piece of 99-million-year-old amber is of the extinct species Oculudentavis khaungraae. The O. khaungraae fossil consists of
a rounded skull with a thin snout and a large eye socket. Because these features look like they are avian, or related to birds, researchers initially
thought that the fossil might be the smallest avian dinosaur ever found.

Text 2
Paleontologists were excited to discover a second small fossil that is similar to the strange O. khaungraae fossil but has part of the lower body
along with a birdlike skull. Detailed studies of both fossils revealed several traits that are found in lizards but not in dinosaurs or birds. Therefore,
paleontologists think the two creatures were probably unusual lizards, even though the skulls looked avian at first.

Based on the texts, what would the paleontologists in Text 2 most likely say about the researchers’ initial thought in Text 1?
A. It is understandable because the fossil does look like it could be related to birds, even though O. khaungraae is probably a lizard.

B. It is confusing because it isn’t clear what caused the researchers to think that O. khaungraae might be related to birds.

C. It is flawed because the researchers mistakenly assumed that O. khaungraae must be a lizard.

D. It is reasonable because the O. khaungraae skull is about the same size as the skull of the second fossil but is shaped differently.
Question ID 9c607676
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 9c607676
Text 1
Growth in the use of novel nanohybrids—materials created from the conjugation of multiple distinct nanomaterials, such as iron oxide and gold
nanomaterials conjugated for use in magnetic imaging—has outpaced studies of nanohybrids’ environmental risks. Unfortunately, risk evaluations
based on nanohybrids’ constituents are not reliable: conjugation may alter constituents’ physiochemical properties such that innocuous
nanomaterials form a nanohybrid that is anything but.
Text 2
The potential for enhanced toxicity of nanohybrids relative to the toxicity of constituent nanomaterials has drawn deserved attention, but the effects
of nanomaterial conjugation vary by case. For instance, it was recently shown that a nanohybrid of silicon dioxide and zinc oxide preserved the
desired optical transparency of zinc oxide nanoparticles while mitigating the nanoparticles’ potential to damage DNA.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assertion in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. By concurring that the risk described in Text 1 should be evaluated but emphasizing that the risk is more than offset by the potential benefits of
nanomaterial conjugation

B. By arguing that the situation described in Text 1 may not be representative but conceding that the effects of nanomaterial conjugation are harder
to predict than researchers had expected

C. By denying that the circumstance described in Text 1 is likely to occur but acknowledging that many aspects of nanomaterial conjugation are
still poorly understood

D. By agreeing that the possibility described in Text 1 is a cause for concern but pointing out that nanomaterial conjugation does not inevitably
produce that result
Question ID fda65f0a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: fda65f0a
Text 1
Soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans, is noted for its umami flavor. Umami—one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, bitter, salty, and
sour—was formally classified when its taste receptors were discovered in the 2000s. In 2007, to define the pure umami flavor scientists Rie Ishii
and Michael O’Mahony used broths made from shiitake mushrooms and kombu seaweed, and two panels of Japanese and US judges closely
agreed on a description of the taste.

Text 2
A 2022 experiment by Manon Jünger et al. led to a greater understanding of soy sauce’s flavor profile. The team initially presented a mixture of
compounds with low molecular weights to taste testers who found it was not as salty or bitter as real soy sauce. Further analysis of soy sauce
identified proteins, including dipeptides, that enhanced umami flavor and also contributed to saltiness. The team then made a mix of 50 chemical
compounds that re-created soy sauce’s flavor.

Based on the texts, if Ishii and O’Mahony (Text 1) and Jünger et al. (Text 2) were aware of the findings of both experiments, they would most likely
agree with which statement?
A. On average, the diets of people in the United States tend to have fewer foods that contain certain dipeptides than the diets of people in Japan
have.

B. Chemical compounds that activate both the umami and salty taste receptors tend to have a higher molecular weight than those that only
activate umami taste receptors.

C. Fermentation introduces proteins responsible for the increase of umami flavor in soy sauce, and those proteins also increase the perception of
saltiness.

D. The broths in the 2007 experiment most likely did not have a substantial amount of the dipeptides that played a key part in the 2022 experiment.
Question ID e0cdb559
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: e0cdb559 environmental

impact of its biomass
Text 1
Mycoprotein is a fungal biomass that can be eaten as an alternative to meat. Studies of the environmental impact of its manufacture generally
agree it is lower than that of beef and closer to that of chicken or pork. But the expense of producing mycoprotein restricts its availability to a few
countries with postindustrial economies. Knowing that cost reductions would expand access to mycoprotein, biochemists are exploring solutions,
such as a cheaper substrate to feed the mycoprotein as it grows.

Text 2
Cattle farming is a principal cause of global deforestation, and a study by Florian Humpenöder and his colleagues found that replacing 20% of beef
consumption worldwide with consumption of mycoprotein would cut deforestation by half if accomplished over the next thirty years. However, this
would likely involve only a small change in agricultural water consumption, since water once dedicated to raising cattle would be diverted to raising
crops instead.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely respond to the study findings mentioned in Text 2?
A. By emphasizing that since agricultural water consumption would remain static in the event of replacing beef consumption with mycoprotein
consumption, an effort must be made to substitute mycoprotein for chicken and pork in diets as well

B. By asserting that the development of a more inexpensive substrate for mycoprotein production would contribute to the goal of decreasing
worldwide deforestation over time

C. By noting that most people would be more likely to use mycoprotein as a substitute for chicken or pork in their diets than as a substitute for beef

D. By pointing out that some countries are responsible for greater deforestation than others and thus, to have any significant effect on the
environment, will have to replace more than 20% of their beef consumption with mycoprotein
Question ID 7424ea31
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 7424ea31
Text 1
Fossils of the hominin Australopithecus africanus have been found in the Sterkfontein Caves of South Africa, but assigning an age to the fossils is
challenging because of the unreliability of dating methods in this context. The geology of Sterkfontein has caused soil layers from different periods
to mix, impeding stratigraphic dating, and dates cannot be reliably imputed from those of nearby animal bones since the bones may have been
relocated by flooding.
Text 2
Archaeologists used new cosmogenic nuclide dating techniques to reevaluate the ages of A. africanus fossils found in the Sterkfontein Caves. This
technique involves analyzing the cosmogenic nucleotides in the breccia—the matrix of rock fragments immediately surrounding the fossils. The
researchers assert that this approach avoids the potential for misdating associated with assigning ages based on Sterkfontein’s soil layers or
animal bones.

Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion in Text 1?
A. They would emphasize the fact that the A. africanus fossils found in the Sterkfontein Caves may have been corrupted in some way over the
years.

B. They would contend that if analyses of surrounding layers and bones in the Sterkfontein Caves were combined, then the dating of the fossils
there would be more accurate.

C. They would argue that their techniques are better suited than other methods to the unique challenges posed by the Sterkfontein Caves.

D. They would claim that cosmogenic nuclide dating is reliable in the context of the Sterkfontein Caves because it is applied to the fossils directly.
Question ID fdf8e5b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Medium

Connections

ID: fdf8e5b3
Text 1
The idea that time moves in only one direction is instinctively understood, yet it puzzles physicists. According to the second law of
thermodynamics, at a macroscopic level some processes of heat transfer are irreversible due to the production of entropy—after a transfer we
cannot rewind time and place molecules back exactly where they were before, just as we cannot unbreak dropped eggs. But laws of physics at a
microscopic or quantum level hold that those processes should be reversible.

Text 2
In 2015, physicists Tiago Batalhão et al. performed an experiment in which they confirmed the irreversibility of thermodynamic processes at a
quantum level, producing entropy by applying a rapidly oscillating magnetic field to a system of carbon-13 atoms in liquid chloroform. But the
experiment “does not pinpoint ... what causes [irreversibility] at the microscopic level,” coauthor Mauro Paternostro said.

Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 1 most likely say about the experiment described in Text 2?
A. It would suggest an interesting direction for future research were it not the case that two of the physicists who conducted the experiment
disagree on the significance of its findings.

B. It provides empirical evidence that the current understanding of an aspect of physics at a microscopic level must be incomplete.

C. It is consistent with the current understanding of physics at a microscopic level but not at a macroscopic level.

D. It supports a claim about an isolated system of atoms in a laboratory, but that claim should not be extrapolated to a general claim about the
universe.
Question ID f7376391
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: f7376391

Text 1
Most animals can regenerate some parts of their bodies, such as skin. But when a three-banded panther worm is cut into three pieces, each piece
grows into a new worm. Researchers are investigating this feat partly to learn more about humans’ comparatively limited abilities to regenerate, and
they’re making exciting progress. An especially promising discovery is that both humans and panther worms have a gene for early growth response
(EGR) linked to regeneration.

Text 2
When Mansi Srivastava and her team reported that panther worms, like humans, possess a gene for EGR, it caused excitement. However, as the
team pointed out, the gene likely functions very differently in humans than it does in panther worms. Srivastava has likened EGR to a switch that
activates other genes involved in regeneration in panther worms, but how this switch operates in humans remains unclear.

Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2 most likely say about Text 1’s characterization of the discovery involving EGR?
A. It is reasonable given that Srivastava and her team have identified how EGR functions in both humans and panther worms.

B. It is overly optimistic given additional observations from Srivastava and her team.

C. It is unexpected given that Srivastava and her team’s findings were generally met with enthusiasm.

D. It is unfairly dismissive given the progress that Srivastava and her team have reported.
Question ID 6c807e83
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 6c807e83

Text 1
Astronomer Mark Holland and colleagues examined four white dwarfs—small, dense remnants of past stars—in order to determine the composition
of exoplanets that used to orbit those stars. Studying wavelengths of light in the white dwarf atmospheres, the team reported that traces of
elements such as lithium and sodium support the presence of exoplanets with continental crusts similar to Earth’s.

Text 2
Past studies of white dwarf atmospheres have concluded that certain exoplanets had continental crusts. Geologist Keith Putirka and astronomer
Siyi Xu argue that those studies unduly emphasize atmospheric traces of lithium and other individual elements as signifiers of the types of rock
found on Earth. The studies don’t adequately account for different minerals made up of various ratios of those elements, and the possibility of rock
types not found on Earth that contain those minerals.

Based on the texts, how would Putirka and Xu (Text 2) most likely characterize the conclusion presented in Text 1?
A. As unexpected, because it was widely believed at the time that white dwarf exoplanets lack continental crusts

B. As premature, because researchers have only just begun trying to determine what kinds of crusts white dwarf exoplanets had

C. As questionable, because it rests on an incomplete consideration of potential sources of the elements detected in white dwarf atmospheres

D. As puzzling, because it’s unusual to successfully detect lithium and sodium when analyzing wavelengths of light in white dwarf atmospheres
Question ID 925e4e31
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Medium

Connections

ID: 925e4e31
Text 1
Polar bears sustain themselves primarily by hunting seals on the Arctic sea ice, but rising ocean temperatures are causing the ice to diminish,
raising concerns about polar bear population declines as these large predators’ seal-hunting habitats continue to shrink. A 2020 study examining
polar bear populations across the Arctic concluded that populations affected by sea-ice loss are at great risk of extinction by the end of the twenty-
first century.
Text 2
Monitoring carried out by researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute shows that the polar bear population on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard
remains stable and well nourished despite rapidly declining sea ice in recent years. The researchers attribute this population’s resilience in part to a
shift in feeding strategies: in addition to hunting seals, the Svalbard polar bears have begun relying on a diet of reindeer meat and birds’ eggs.

Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the conclusion presented in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. By noting that it neglects the possibility of some polar bear populations adapting to changes in their environment

B. By suggesting that it is likely incorrect about the rates at which warming ocean temperatures have caused sea ice to melt in the Arctic

C. By asserting that it overlooks polar bear populations that have not yet been affected by loss of seal-hunting habitats

D. By arguing that it fails to account for polar bears’ reliance on a single seal-hunting strategy
Question ID 8dd4b0d5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 8dd4b0d5
Text 1
Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando is an oddity within her body of work. Her other major novels consist mainly of scenes of everyday life and
describe their characters’ interior states in great detail, whereas Orlando propels itself through a series of fantastical events and considers its
characters’ psychology more superficially. Woolf herself sometimes regarded the novel as a minor work, even admitting once that she “began it as
a joke.”

Text 2
Like Woolf’s other great novels, Orlando portrays how people’s memories inform their experience of the present. Like those works, it examines how
people navigate social interactions shaped by gender and social class. Though it is lighter in tone—more entertaining, even—this literary “joke”
nonetheless engages seriously with the themes that motivated the four or five other novels by Woolf that have achieved the status of literary
classics.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the assessment of Orlando presented in Text 1?
A. By conceding that Woolf’s talents were best suited to serious novels but asserting that the humor in Orlando is often effective

B. By agreeing that Orlando is less impressive than certain other novels by Woolf but arguing that it should still be regarded as a classic

C. By acknowledging that Orlando clearly differs from Woolf’s other major novels but insisting on its centrality to her body of work nonetheless

D. By concurring that the reputation of Orlando as a minor work has led readers to overlook this novel but maintaining that the reputation is
unearned
Question ID e5f76480
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: e5f76480
Text 1
Like the work of Ralph Ellison before her, Toni Morrison’s novels feature scenes in which characters deliver sermons of such length and verbal
dexterity that for a time, the text exchanges the formal parameters of fiction for those of oral literature. Given the many other echoes of Ellison in
Morrison’s novels, both in structure and prose style, these scenes suggest Ellison’s direct influence on Morrison.
Text 2
In their destabilizing effect on literary form, the sermons in Morrison’s works recall those in Ellison’s. Yet literature by Black Americans abounds in
moments where interpolated speech erodes the division between oral and written forms that literature in English has traditionally observed.
Morrison’s use of the sermon is attributable not only to the influence of Ellison but also to a community-wide strategy of resistance to externally
imposed literary conventions.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely characterize the underlined claim in Text 1?
A. As failing to consider Ellison’s and Morrison’s equivalent uses of the sermon within the wider cultural context in which they wrote

B. As misunderstanding the function of sermons in novels by Black American writers other than Ellison and Morrison

C. As disregarding points of structural and stylistic divergence between the works of Ellison and those of Morrison

D. As being indebted to the tradition of resisting literary conventions that privilege written forms, such as novels, over sermons and other oral forms
Question ID 8cb0c10b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Medium

Connections

ID: 8cb0c10b

Text 1
Graphic novels are increasingly popular in bookstores and libraries, but they shouldn’t be classified as literature. By definition, literature tells a story
or conveys meaning through language only; graphic novels tell stories through illustrations and use language only sparingly, in captions and
dialogue. Graphic novels are experienced as series of images and not as language, making them more similar to film than to literature.

Text 2
Graphic novels present their stories through both language and images. Without captions and dialogue, readers would be unable to understand
what is depicted in the illustrations: the story results from the interaction of text and image. Moreover, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and many other
graphic novels feature text that is as beautifully written as the prose found in many standard novels. Therefore, graphic novels qualify as literary
texts.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the overall argument presented in Text 1?
A. By asserting that language plays a more important role in graphic novels than the author of Text 1 recognizes

B. By acknowledging that the author of Text 1 has identified a flaw that is common to all graphic novels

C. By suggesting that the story lines of certain graphic novels are more difficult to understand than the author of Text 1 claims

D. By agreeing with the author of Text 1 that most graphic novels aren’t as well crafted as most literary works are
Question ID 4183cbda
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 4183cbda

Text 1
In 2007, a team led by Alice Storey analyzed a chicken bone found in El Arenal, Chile, dating it to 1321–1407 CE—over a century before Europeans
invaded the region, bringing their own chickens. Storey also found that the El Arenal chicken shared a unique genetic mutation with the ancient
chicken breeds of the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific. Thus, Polynesian peoples, not later Europeans, probably first introduced chickens to South
America.

Text 2
An Australian research team weakened the case for a Polynesian origin for the El Arenal chicken by confirming that the mutation identified by
Storey has occurred in breeds from around the world. More recently, though, a team led by Agusto Luzuriaga-Neira found that South American
chicken breeds and Polynesian breeds share other genetic markers that European breeds lack. Thus, the preponderance of evidence now favors a
Polynesian origin.

Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?
A. By broadly agreeing with the claim but objecting that the timeline it presupposes conflicts with the findings of the genetic analysis conducted by
Storey’s team

B. By faulting the claim for implying that domestic animals couldn’t have been transferred from South America to the Polynesian Islands as well

C. By critiquing the claim for being based on an assumption that before the European invasion of South America, the chickens of Europe were
genetically uniform

D. By noting that while the claim is persuasive, the findings of Luzuriaga-Neira’s team provide stronger evidence for it than the findings of the
genetic analysis conducted by Storey do
Question ID c9a3f3be
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Easy

Connections

ID: c9a3f3be
Text 1
On April 26th, 1777, Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles by horse through Putnam County, New York, to gather up local militia. British forces were burning
nearby Danbury, Connecticut, and Ludington wanted to rally rebel troops to meet them. Although she was only 16 years old at the time, her brave
feat made Ludington one of the heroes of the American Revolution. Since then, Ludington has been widely celebrated, inspiring postage stamps,
statues, and even children’s TV series.

Text 2
Historian Paula D. Hunt researched the life and legacy of Sybil Ludington but found no evidence for her famous ride. Although many articles and
books have been written about Ludington, Hunt believes writers may have been inventing details about Ludington as they retold her story. Ludington
is revered by Americans today, but there simply isn’t a strong historical record of her heroic ride.

Based on the texts, both authors would most likely agree with which statement?
A. Sybil Ludington was crucial to the outcome of the Revolutionary War.

B. Historians have confirmed which route Sybil Ludington took.

C. Sybil Ludington was likely not a real person.

D. Many people have come to admire the story of Sybil Ludington’s ride.
Question ID f8eacedb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: f8eacedb
Text 1
Africa’s Sahara region—once a lush ecosystem—began to dry out about 8,000 years ago. A change in Earth’s orbit that affected climate has been
posited as a cause of desertification, but archaeologist David Wright also attributes the shift to Neolithic peoples. He cites their adoption of
pastoralism as a factor in the region drying out: the pastoralists’ livestock depleted vegetation, prompting the events that created the Sahara Desert.
Text 2
Research by Chris Brierley et al. challenges the idea that Neolithic peoples contributed to the Sahara’s desertification. Using a climate-vegetation
model, the team concluded that the end of the region’s humid period occurred 500 years earlier than previously assumed. The timing suggests that
Neolithic peoples didn’t exacerbate aridity in the region but, in fact, may have helped delay environmental changes with practices (e.g., selective
grazing) that preserved vegetation.

Based on the texts, how would Chris Brierley (Text 2) most likely respond to the discussion in Text 1?
A. By pointing out that given the revised timeline for the end of the Sahara’s humid period, the Neolithic peoples’ mode of subsistence likely didn’t
cause the region’s desertification

B. By claiming that pastoralism was only one of many behaviors the Neolithic peoples took part in that may have contributed to the Sahara’s
changing climate

C. By insisting that pastoralism can have both beneficial and deleterious effects on a region’s vegetation and climate

D. By asserting that more research needs to be conducted into factors that likely contributed to the desertification of the Sahara region
Question ID 0714c5f1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 0714c5f1
Text 1
Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman’s 1962 analysis of the start of World War I, has certain weaknesses as a work of
history. It fails to address events in Eastern Europe just before the outbreak of hostilities, thereby giving the impression that Germany was the war’s
principal instigator. Had Tuchman consulted secondary works available to her by scholars such as Luigi Albertini, she would not have neglected the
influence of events in Eastern Europe on Germany’s actions.

Text 2
Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August is an engrossing if dated introduction to World War I. Tuchman’s analysis of primary documents is laudable,
but her main thesis that European powers committed themselves to a catastrophic outcome by refusing to deviate from military plans developed
prior to the conflict is implausibly reductive.

Which choice best describes a difference in how the authors of Text 1 and Text 2 view Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August?
A. The author of Text 1 argues that Tuchman should have relied more on the work of other historians, while the author of Text 2 implies that
Tuchman’s most interesting claims result from her original research.

B. The author of Text 1 believes that the scope of Tuchman’s research led her to an incorrect interpretation, while the author of Text 2 believes that
Tuchman’s central argument is overly simplistic.

C. The author of Text 1 asserts that the writing style of The Guns of August makes it worthwhile to read despite any perceived deficiency in
Tuchman’s research, while the author of Text 2 focuses exclusively on the weakness of Tuchman’s interpretation of events.

D. The author of Text 1 claims that Tuchman would agree that World War I was largely due to events in Eastern Europe, while the author of Text 2
maintains that Tuchman would say that Eastern European leaders were not committed to military plans in the same way that other leaders were.
Question ID aae79e3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: aae79e3a

Text 1
Ecologists have long wondered how thousands of microscopic phytoplankton species can live together near ocean surfaces competing for the
same resources. According to conventional wisdom, one species should emerge after outcompeting the rest. So why do so many species remain?
Ecologists’ many efforts to explain this phenomenon still haven’t uncovered a satisfactory explanation.

Text 2
Ecologist Michael Behrenfeld and colleagues have connected phytoplankton’s diversity to their microscopic size. Because these organisms are so
tiny, they are spaced relatively far apart from each other in ocean water and, moreover, experience that water as a relatively dense substance. This
in turn makes it hard for them to move around and interact with one another. Therefore, says Behrenfeld’s team, direct competition among
phytoplankton probably happens much less than previously thought.

Based on the texts, how would Behrenfeld and colleagues (Text 2) most likely respond to the “conventional wisdom” discussed in Text 1?
A. By arguing that it is based on a misconception about phytoplankton species competing with one another

B. By asserting that it fails to recognize that routine replenishment of ocean nutrients prevents competition between phytoplankton species

C. By suggesting that their own findings help clarify how phytoplankton species are able to compete with larger organisms

D. By recommending that more ecologists focus their research on how competition among phytoplankton species is increased with water density
Question ID 74bccb47
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Craft and Structure Cross-Text Hard

Connections

ID: 74bccb47
Text 1
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event is usually attributed solely to an asteroid impact near Chicxulub, Mexico. Some scientists
argue that volcanic activity was the true cause, as the K-Pg event occurred relatively early in a long period of eruption of the Deccan Traps range
that initially produced huge amounts of climate-altering gases. These dissenters note that other mass extinctions have coincided with large
volcanic eruptions, while only the K-Pg event lines up with an asteroid strike.

Text 2
In a 2020 study, Pincelli Hull and her colleagues analyzed ocean core samples and modeled climate changes around the K-Pg event. The team
concluded that Deccan Traps gases did affect global conditions prior to the event, but that the climate returned to normal well before the
extinctions began—extinctions that instead closely align with the Chicxulub impact.

Based on the texts, how would Hull’s team (Text 2) most likely respond to the argument in the underlined portion of Text 1?
A. By agreeing that the Chicxulub impact changed the climate and that the Deccan Traps eruption caused the K-Pg event

B. By declaring that the changes in climate caused by the Deccan Traps eruption weren’t the main cause of the K-Pg event

C. By questioning why those scientists assume that the Chicxulub impact caused the Deccan Traps eruption

D. By asserting that the Deccan Traps eruption had a more significant effect on global conditions than those scientists claim