Question 112·Easy·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Sleep researcher Maya Kenji tracked academic outcomes across 20 districts that delayed high school start times by at least 45 minutes. On average, these districts saw improved attendance and modest gains in standardized test scores. Kenji concludes that aligning school schedules with teenagers’ sleep cycles improves academic performance.
Text 2
District administrator Julio Perez reviewed start-time changes in his state. In some communities, later starts pushed practices, club meetings, and part-time jobs further into the evening, shortening students’ study time and sleep. In rural areas with long bus routes, families reported greater scheduling conflicts. Perez argues that without changes to transportation and after-school schedules, later start times may have little effect on learning outcomes.
Based on the texts, how would Perez (Text 2) most likely respond to Kenji’s conclusion in Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first summarize each author’s main point in 5–10 words in the margin (e.g., “Kenji: later starts help academics” / “Perez: later starts help only if other schedules change”). Then think about the relationship: agree, disagree, or agree-with-conditions? Finally, go through the choices and cross out any that are too extreme, add ideas not mentioned (like money or drastic policies), or misrepresent that relationship. Choose the one that most accurately captures how the second author would respond to the first, using specific phrases from both texts as proof.
Hints
Clarify each person’s claim
Reread the final sentence of each text. What does Kenji say about the effect of aligning school schedules with teen sleep cycles? What does Perez say about the effect of later start times if nothing else changes?
Compare their perspectives
Ask yourself: Does Perez fully support Kenji’s conclusion, fully oppose it, or partly agree but add conditions or warnings? Focus on phrases like “without changes…” and “may have little effect.”
Eliminate extreme or off-topic options
Check each answer choice against what Perez actually talks about. Does he ever mention every district, cutting all extracurriculars, or saving money? Remove any option that introduces ideas he never discusses.
Step-by-step Explanation
Pin down Kenji’s main conclusion (Text 1)
Look at the final sentence of Text 1: “Kenji concludes that aligning school schedules with teenagers’ sleep cycles improves academic performance.” This means Kenji believes that later start times, which better match teen sleep, lead to better academic results overall (improved attendance and test scores).
Understand Perez’s main point (Text 2)
Perez describes what happened in some communities after start times were delayed: practices, clubs, and jobs were pushed later, which reduced study time and sleep for some students. In rural areas, longer bus routes caused more scheduling conflicts. He then says that without changes to transportation and after-school schedules, later start times may have little effect on learning outcomes. So he is not totally against later start times, but he is warning that they do not automatically improve academics in all situations.
Decide how Perez would respond to Kenji
Kenji is basically saying, “Later, more sleep-aligned schedules improve academic performance.” Perez would likely say something like, “They can help, but only if we also fix transportation and after-school scheduling; otherwise the impact on learning may be small.” That means he would partly agree with her idea but add an important condition or limitation, not reject it completely or praise it as always successful.
Match this relationship to the best answer choice
We need the choice showing qualified agreement: that later start times can be helpful but are not guaranteed to boost academics without other changes.
- Choice A says later starts reliably boost performance across all districts, which Perez clearly challenges.
- Choice C suggests eliminating extracurriculars, which Perez never proposes.
- Choice D talks about financial savings, which neither text mentions.
- Choice B correctly captures Perez’s likely response: he would agree that delaying start times can help but would argue that, without broader schedule adjustments, academic outcomes may not improve as much as Kenji suggests.