Question 114·Hard·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Shortening car travel lanes to install dedicated bus lanes is often criticized as slowing drivers without real benefit. Proponents insist that buses can carry far more people per hour, but low ridership and irregular boarding make results uncertain. There is no credible evidence that reallocating a general-purpose lane to buses can increase the total number of people moved along a corridor.
Text 2
Transportation researchers evaluated corridor "person-throughput" before and after the installation of dedicated bus lanes in four mid-sized cities. Using automatic passenger counters, dwell-time logs, and signal timing data, they found that when bus lanes were paired with frequent service, all-door boarding, and transit signal priority, the number of people moved per hour along the corridor increased and travel-time reliability improved. The researchers note that strict enforcement was important, but they emphasize that their measurements captured people moved, not just vehicles.
Based on the texts, how would the researchers in Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined portion in Text 1?
For cross-text response questions, first paraphrase the exact claim in the referenced part of Text 1 (here, “no credible evidence” of increased person-throughput). Then locate where Text 2 directly addresses that same concept (what was measured and what changed). Decide whether Text 2 supports, contradicts, or cannot evaluate the claim, and choose the option that matches both the stance (agree/disagree/can’t judge) and the specific evidence Text 2 reports.
Hints
Clarify the claim in Text 1
Reread the underlined sentence in Text 1. Is it claiming bus lanes do not increase people moved, or that there is no credible evidence that they do?
Identify the key result in Text 2
Find the part of Text 2 describing what happened to person-throughput after the bus lanes were installed (and under what conditions).
Decide the relationship between the texts
If Text 2 reports measured increases in people moved, would those researchers agree with Text 1’s “no credible evidence” statement, or dispute it?
Eliminate choices that change what was measured
Text 2 emphasizes it measured people moved, not just vehicles. Eliminate any option that claims the study didn’t measure person-throughput.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the claim being challenged in Text 1
The underlined sentence in Text 1 claims there is no credible evidence that converting a general-purpose lane into a bus lane can increase the total number of people moved along a corridor.
Find the relevant evidence in Text 2
Text 2 describes researchers who measured corridor person-throughput before and after dedicated bus lanes were installed. They report that, when paired with frequent service, all-door boarding, and transit signal priority, the number of people moved per hour increased.
Match the researchers’ response to the best choice
Since Text 2 presents measured increases in person-throughput after installing bus lanes (under specified conditions), the researchers would dispute the “no credible evidence” claim. Therefore, the correct choice is:
They would dispute it, citing before-and-after data showing higher corridor person-throughput after dedicated bus lanes were added alongside frequent service and signal priority.