A question about two texts tests how one author would respond to another author’s position. Start with the question to find who answers whom, then put each text’s claim and reason in a few words. Ask whether the author would reject the claim, add limits to it, or extend it to a new case. When the texts compare results, check what each author measures and over what period. A response needs that author’s own reason, not a new objection.
Hints
- Hint 1
Singh is the one responding, so find Cruz’s claim and her reason for it. Then read Singh’s position as a response to that claim.
- Hint 2
Look at what Singh counts over 40 years. How would that evidence shape his response to Cruz’s position?
Step-by-step
Compare what each author counts
Step 1Find Cruz’s claim and reason
Cruz points to projects that immediately cut building-related emissions by over 30 percent. Singh is responding to her position, so what does she take those results to show? She favors replacement as the quickest way to cut carbon and says retrofitting yields only marginal gains, meaning small benefits. She focuses on immediate savings from new buildings.
- Step 2
Find what Singh’s comparison includes
What does Singh count that those immediate results don’t address? He points to the substantial carbon emitted during demolition and new construction, which comes with replacing a building. His analyses run over 40 years, so he weighs those costs against the savings from the buildings’ energy use. He compares total carbon across a building’s life, not only its efficiency once built.
- Step 3
Predict Singh’s response
Do Singh’s results support Cruz’s claim that upgrades help little? He found that retaining and upgrading existing frames saved more total emissions, even when replacements met the highest efficiency standards. He rejects her reasoning because immediate reductions don’t settle the total carbon cost. He can accept the projects’ emissions drops while questioning Cruz’s conclusion.
- Step 4
Match the response to Singh’s reason
Which choice gives Singh’s own reason for disagreeing? The phrase underestimates the environmental costs points to his concern about the substantial carbon emitted during demolition and new construction. It shows what Cruz leaves out without claiming that every new building is worse than every retrofit. Choice D.