A question about two texts tests how one writer would respond to another writer’s recommendation. Read the question to find who answers whom and which recommendation they’re judging. Put each text’s main point and reason in a few words, then ask whether the responding writer rejects the plan, limits it, or takes it further. Check the reason, because a response must follow that writer’s own thinking. A choice can get the writer’s view right but give a reason that writer never offers.
Hints
- Hint 1
The question asks Lian to judge Ravi’s recommendation. Find the school policy Ravi proposes, including how students could avoid it.
- Hint 2
Look for why Lian worries about defaults. Which students does she discuss, and what might they need from their phones?
- Hint 3
Would an opt-out settle the concern Lian gives? Compare Ravi’s opt-out with Lian’s warning, then read what she favors in her final sentence.
Step-by-step
Match Lian’s reason to Ravi’s plan
Step 1Pin down Ravi’s recommendation
Start with Ravi's recommendation in Text 1, which the question asks Lian to judge. What does Ravi propose? He wants schools to set scheduled-notification mode as the default on student devices, with an opt-out, because the trial reported gains in attention, mood, and grades. The target is his proposed default, not the trial alone.
- Step 2
Explain why the opt-out isn't enough
Lian warns that defaults impose friction on those who need immediate updates. Why doesn’t Ravi’s opt-out settle that concern? Defaults shape behavior, so students start with delayed notifications even when a pickup change or shift alert may need a quick response. Opting out still puts an extra step in their way, which is the friction Lian warns about. She would reject the universal preset because students’ needs differ.
- Step 3
Separate the policy from the trial results
Does Lian dispute the trial’s results? Her concern is that attention costs and needs differ widely, not that notification timing has little effect on attention or mood. The texts also never compare which students benefit most. She rejects the preset, not the volunteers’ gains.
- Step 4
Match her reason and preferred alternative
Lian favors transparent choice and context-specific support rather than universal presets, which rules out support setting scheduled notifications as the default for all students. The response about burden and transparent, context-specific choice gives both why she objects and what she favors instead, so it explains how she would respond to Ravi’s plan and why. Choice C.