For cross-text connection questions, briefly state each text’s claim and the type of evidence it relies on (Text 1: memoir/morale; Text 2: ledgers/technology). Then answer: “How would Text 2 evaluate Text 1’s causal explanation?” Favor choices that mirror Text 2’s stated skepticism about memoir-based causation and that use the alternative causes Text 2 actually names.
Hints
- Hint 1
Identify the cause claimed in Text 1
Look back at Text 1 and find the phrases that explain why the loom operator thinks production stayed the same even though shifts were shorter. What is he crediting?
- Hint 2
Identify the cause claimed in Text 2
In Text 2, what specific changes does the historian mention (equipment and materials)? How do those changes relate to output per hour?
- Hint 3
Notice how Text 2 treats personal accounts like the memoir
What warning does the historian give about using memoirs to explain causes of efficiency gains? Do they trust explanations based on "spirit" or "resolve"?
- Hint 4
Predict the historian’s alternative explanation
Assume the historian accepts that production didn’t fall. Based on Text 2, what kind of factor would they say is more likely to explain that outcome than morale?
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Clarify what Text 1 is claiming
Focus first on what the memoirist in Text 1 says:
- Shifts were shortened.
- He says they went home "clearer-headed" and "wasted fewer steps" the next day.
- He concludes that "shorter hours kept tempers cool and hands steady," so crews produced as much cloth even with less time.
So Text 1’s explanation for stable production is improved morale and focus caused by shorter hours.
- Step 2
Clarify what Text 2 emphasizes as the cause of efficiency
Now look at what the historian in Text 2 emphasizes:
- They review production ledgers and equipment orders.
- They note output per hour rose after faster shuttle mechanisms and standardized thread sizes were adopted.
- They say personal accounts often credit “spirit” or “resolve” for changes actually caused by new tools and training.
- They warn against using such memoirs as evidence for the causes of efficiency gains.
So Text 2 trusts records and technology/training explanations more than morale-based stories.
- Step 3
Figure out how Text 2 would react to Text 1’s explanation
Now combine the viewpoints:
- Text 1 credits morale (cool tempers, steady hands) for keeping production from falling.
- Text 2 warns that memoirs over-credit spirit/morale and under-credit tools, training, and standardization.
So if the historian read Text 1, they would likely say the memoirist is drawing the kind of morale-based causal conclusion that the historian cautions against, and that the more likely explanation would come from tool/process changes documented in records.
- Step 4
Match this reaction to the best answer choice
Choose the option that (1) rejects morale as the primary cause and (2) points to the kinds of evidence Text 2 emphasizes (tools/standardization).
The best match is:
They would suggest that stable production likely resulted from technological improvements and standardization rather than from improved morale.