Cross-Text Connections give you two short passages (Text 1 and Text 2) on the same topic and ask how they relate — usually how the author of one would respond to the other.
Before reading Text 2, lock down Text 1's exact claim. Then read Text 2 asking: does it agree, disagree, complicate, or add a new angle?
The reliable method
- Summarize each author's position in one sentence in your own words.
- Pin the point of contact — the specific thing both texts address. The answer lives there.
- Match the relationship precisely. "Would disagree" needs direct conflict; "would qualify" means partial agreement with a caveat.
Trap: Choices that are true about one text but don't describe the relationship between them. The question is always relational.
Worked examples
How do you handle two-passage questions?
- Summarize Text 1's exact claim in one sentence before reading Text 2.
- Read Text 2 asking one question: does it agree, disagree, complicate, or add a new angle?
- Find the specific point both texts address — the answer always lives there.
- Match the relationship precisely: 'would disagree' needs direct conflict; 'would qualify' means partial agreement with a caveat.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Picking a choice that's true about one text but doesn't describe the RELATIONSHIP between them.
- Overstating disagreement. Often Text 2 only limits or complicates Text 1 rather than rejecting it.
- Missing shared ground on agreement questions — look for the premise both authors accept.
- Assuming the second text is always opposed to the first.