Cross-Text Connections: answering from one text
By the time you finish Text 2, Text 1 has faded. The answer you pick is the one that best matches whichever text you read most recently.
Why it happens
Two passages is more than working memory comfortably holds, and the second one is fresher. Every wrong choice is written to be defensible from exactly one text — that is what makes them feel supported.
See the trap
Text 1 claims the settlement was abandoned because of drought. Text 2 argues that trade routes shifted in the same decade and that this, not the climate, drove the population out. Question: how would Text 2's author respond to Text 1's claim?
✗ The trap: "Trade route changes explain the settlement's decline." — an accurate statement of Text 2, which never mentions Text 1's claim.
✓ The fix: "The drought coincided with the decline but was not its cause." — Text 2's position, applied to the specific claim Text 1 made.
How to actually fix it
- Before reading the choices, write one word for each author's stance: agrees, disagrees, partly agrees.
- Locate the specific claim the question quotes from Text 1.
- Require both texts to appear in your justification. If your reasoning only cites one, it is not the answer.
Made this mistake on a real question?
Practice Craft and Structure questions here. Miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back until you beat it.
Practice Craft and Structure →FAQ
Do the authors always disagree?
No — partial agreement is the most common relationship, and the SAT writes choices that overstate the disagreement to catch readers who assumed a clean split.
How do I stop repeating this mistake?
Reading the explanation isn't enough — your brain needs to beat the trap on a fresh question. Practice the skill in the kaoshen.co question bank: miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back to you three days later and again after fourteen.