Take this Quiz: SAT — cross-text connections | Zestly

Question 1

Consider these two passages. The first writer: "The discovery of the Vespera ruins in the desert suggests that the ancient Kaelen civilization was primarily a maritime culture, since the intricate carvings of vessels on the temple walls indicate a deep reverence for the sea." The second writer: "The Vespera carvings are impressive, but the vessels they depict are of a kind used exclusively for river transport, which points to a river-based society rather than a maritime one." Based on what each writer argues, how would the second writer most likely respond to the first writer's claim that the Kaelen were a maritime culture?

Accepted Answer

By asserting that the evidence the first writer cites in fact supports a different classification of the culture.

Answer

By arguing that the carvings are too damaged to support any conclusion about Kaelen transportation.

Answer

By suggesting that the Kaelen were a nomadic people with no interest in either rivers or the sea.

Answer

By agreeing that the carvings show seagoing ships while holding that they were symbolic rather than practical.

Question 2

Consider these two passages. The first writer: "Recent studies of the Luma bird indicate that their migration patterns are driven entirely by changes in atmospheric pressure, which allows them to predict storms before they arrive." The second writer: "While atmospheric pressure is a factor, the Luma bird's migration is primarily dictated by the availability of specific food sources, which fluctuate seasonally in their breeding grounds." Which choice best describes the relationship between the two arguments?

Accepted Answer

The second writer proposes a different primary cause for the same observed behavior.

Answer

The second writer rejects the first writer's observation that Luma birds migrate.

Answer

The second writer argues that the first writer's study was conducted on the wrong species.

Answer

The second writer claims that the first writer's findings are only applicable to captive birds.

Question 3

Consider these two passages. The first writer: "The implementation of the new city-wide recycling program has been a total failure, as the volume of waste sent to landfills has not decreased since the program began." The second writer: "Although the total volume of waste in landfills has remained stable, the recycling program has successfully diverted thousands of tons of plastic, which would have otherwise polluted the local river system." On which point would the two writers most likely disagree?

Accepted Answer

Whether the recycling program can be considered a success.

Answer

Whether the volume of waste in landfills has remained stable.

Answer

Whether plastic waste is a significant environmental concern.

Answer

Whether the city should continue to fund the recycling program.

Question 4

Consider these two passages. The first writer: "The architectural style of the Zenith Tower is a clear departure from traditional brutalism: the use of glass and daylight creates an atmosphere of transparency and openness that brutalist buildings never sought." The second writer: "The Zenith Tower does incorporate a great deal of glass, but its heavy concrete foundation and rigid geometric layout anchor it firmly within the brutalist tradition, regardless of the facade's transparency." Which statement would both writers most likely accept?

Answer

The Zenith Tower is a pure example of modern minimalism.

Answer

The glass in the tower serves no purpose beyond decoration.

Answer

The exterior of the tower gives an impression of transparency.

Answer

The tower has no connection to any earlier architectural tradition.

Question 5

Consider these two passages. The first writer: "The decline of the Silverwood forest is caused by the encroachment of invasive beetle species that destroy the bark of the trees." The second writer: "Beetles do damage the bark, but this only occurs because the trees have already been weakened by prolonged drought, making them unable to produce the resin needed to repel the insects." Based on what each writer argues, how would the second writer most likely respond to the first writer's claim that the decline is caused by beetles?

Answer

By arguing that the beetles are actually beneficial to the forest ecosystem.

Answer

By claiming that the first writer has misidentified the species of beetle involved.

Answer

By suggesting that the beetles are a secondary factor rather than the primary cause.

Answer

By stating that the trees are not actually in decline but are merely shedding their bark.