Question 102·Hard·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
An economic historian examining the rise of wind energy in the United States argues that the 1992 federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) was the tipping point for the fledgling industry. Before the credit, turbine manufacturers struggled to attract private capital, given the technology’s high upfront costs and uncertain payoffs. Within five years of the PTC’s introduction, national wind-generation capacity had quadrupled, a surge the historian attributes to the credit’s guaranteed price support per kilowatt-hour produced.
Text 2
Writing in a recent policy brief, an environmental analyst questions whether the PTC should be renewed in its current form. The analyst concedes that the credit was “indispensable during the 1990s, when wind turbines were prohibitively expensive,” but contends that costs have since fallen enough for many projects to be profitable without federal assistance. The brief recommends phasing out the subsidy gradually to avoid market shocks.
Based on the texts, both the historian in Text 1 and the analyst in Text 2 would most likely agree with which choice?
For cross-text agreement questions, identify one clear claim from each text and then look for the simplest overlap. Avoid choices that add new policy recommendations, time periods (present vs. past), or absolute language (“by itself,” “most,” “any”) that goes beyond what both authors explicitly support.
Hints
Locate the key attitude words
Underline words and phrases in each text that show how the author feels about the Production Tax Credit (PTC), such as labels or strong adjectives describing its impact.
Separate past from present
Notice when each author is talking about the 1990s/early years versus talking about current or future policy. The agreement is often about the past, while disagreements are about what should happen now.
Eliminate choices that go beyond what both texts say
Ask yourself for each option: Do I have clear evidence from both authors, or is this only supported—or even contradicted—by one text? Cross out any answer that requires you to assume something one of the writers never says.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify what Text 1 says about the PTC
Text 1 calls the PTC “the tipping point” and reports that within five years of its introduction, U.S. wind capacity quadrupled—a surge the historian attributes to the PTC’s price support. So Text 1 clearly links the PTC to early rapid expansion.
Identify what Text 2 concedes about the PTC
Text 2 questions renewing the PTC now, but explicitly concedes it was “indispensable during the 1990s” when turbines were very expensive. This shows the analyst agrees the PTC played a major role in the industry’s early development.
Find the overlap
Both authors agree on the PTC’s importance in the early growth of U.S. wind power. They do not necessarily agree about what policy should be today.
Select the choice both would support
The only option that stays strictly within that shared point is: “The Production Tax Credit significantly contributed to the early expansion of the U.S. wind industry.”