SAT Reading and Writing · Topic 2.3
Cross-Text Connections Practice
Part of Craft and Structure.
Practice questions
150
Sample questions
5 of 150 — sign in to practice the rest with adaptive difficulty and mastery tracking.
Sample 1difficulty 2/5
Text 1: Astronomer Park argues that the discovery of thousands of exoplanets — planets orbiting other stars — has revolutionized our sense of the cosmos. Many of these worlds are roughly Earth-sized; some lie in their stars' habitable zones; the universe seems crowded with possibilities for life.
Text 2: Astronomer Singh accepts the abundance of exoplanets but cautions against equating "habitable zone" with "habitable." Many Earth-sized planets in the right orbital range orbit stars that blast their planets with stellar flares; tidal locking is common; atmospheres are often unknown. The cosmos may be crowded with planets, Singh argues, but not necessarily with friendly ones.
Both authors would most likely agree that
- A
exoplanet research has produced no useful findings.
- Bcheck_circle
many exoplanets, including Earth-sized ones, have been discovered.
- C
every exoplanet in a habitable zone is suitable for life.
- D
no exoplanets have ever been confirmed.
Why
Both accept the abundance of detected exoplanets, including Earth-sized ones. A is shared. B, C, and D contradict at least one author.
- A
Sample 2difficulty 2/5
Text 1: Education researcher Tate argues that smaller class sizes significantly improve student achievement. Tennessee's Project STAR, which randomly assigned students to classes of 13–17 or 22–25, found that students in smaller classes scored higher on standardized tests and were more likely to graduate from high school.
Text 2: Economist Falk acknowledges Project STAR's findings but argues that smaller classes are an inefficient use of resources. The benefits, he notes, were modest in size, fading partly when students returned to larger classes. Investing the same money in better-trained teachers, Falk contends, produces larger gains for less cost.
Both authors would most likely agree that
- Acheck_circle
smaller class sizes had measurable positive effects in Project STAR.
- B
teacher training is more important than any other factor.
- C
Project STAR was poorly designed.
- D
class size has no effect on student learning.
Why
Both accept STAR's positive findings; they disagree on cost-effectiveness. A is shared ground. B contradicts both; C is only Falk's view; D is not endorsed.
- A
Sample 3difficulty 2/5
Text 1: Biologist Morgan argues that sleep is essential for memory consolidation. During non-REM sleep, the brain replays the day's experiences, strengthening neural connections and integrating new information into long-term memory. Sleep-deprived subjects perform worse on memory tests, supporting this view.
Text 2: Neuroscientist Jensen agrees that sleep helps memory but challenges the idea that consolidation is sleep's primary function. Sleep, she notes, is universal across animals with very different memory systems, including those with little learning capacity. The deeper purpose, Jensen suggests, may be metabolic — clearing toxic byproducts from the brain.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- A
whether sleep affects memory.
- Bcheck_circle
whether memory consolidation is sleep's primary function.
- C
whether sleep deprivation has any effects.
- D
whether sleep occurs in animals.
Why
Both accept that sleep affects memory and is universal in animals. They disagree on whether memory consolidation is sleep's primary function. B captures the dispute.
- A
Sample 4difficulty 2/5
Text 1: Policy analyst Park argues that paid family leave produces measurable benefits for parents and children. Mothers in countries with generous paid leave have higher labor-force attachment over time; infants benefit from longer parental contact; longitudinal studies suggest small but meaningful child-development gains.
Text 2: Policy analyst Singh accepts the benefits Park describes but raises a design question. Leave structured exclusively as "maternity leave," she argues, can entrench gender inequalities in caregiving and labor markets; programs that include earmarked time for fathers — as in Sweden — distribute caregiving more equally. The case for paid leave is strong; the case for any particular design is more contested.
Both authors would most likely agree that
- A
the design of leave programs is irrelevant.
- B
paid leave has no measurable effects.
- Ccheck_circle
paid family leave can produce real benefits for parents and children.
- D
no country offers paid family leave.
Why
Both accept paid leave's benefits; they differ on design considerations. A is shared. B, C, and D contradict both.
- A
Sample 5difficulty 2/5
Text 1: Astronomer Davies argues that life on Mars, if it exists, is probably microbial and underground. Surface conditions are too harsh — intense radiation, freezing temperatures, no liquid water — for any organism to thrive. Subsurface aquifers, however, may shelter microorganisms similar to Earth's deep-rock bacteria.
Text 2: Astrobiologist Knox agrees that any Martian life is likely microbial but disagrees about location. Recent observations of seasonal dark streaks on Martian slopes, she argues, suggest that briny liquid water may flow at the surface during warmer months. Such transient flows could support microbial communities without the need to drill deep underground.
Both authors would most likely agree that
- A
all Martian life lives deep underground.
- B
the Martian surface is hospitable to complex organisms.
- Ccheck_circle
Martian life, if it exists, is likely microbial.
- D
no liquid water exists anywhere on Mars.
Why
Both endorse microbial life as the likely form; they disagree on location (subsurface vs. transient surface flows). A is shared. B, C, and D contradict at least one author.
- A