Question 118·Easy·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
City planners in Riverton wanted to estimate how much cooling the city’s street trees provide in summer. For a quick assessment, they measured trunk diameters and assumed that bigger trunks meant older trees and more shade. In their summary, they wrote that trunk diameter reliably reveals age across species, allowing them to rank trees by age without cutting them.
Text 2
In a commentary, a forest ecologist cautions that growth rates differ widely among species and with soil, water, and crowding. Fast-growing species can develop thick trunks while still young, and stressed older trees may have modest diameters. The ecologist argues that trunk diameter alone is a poor indicator of age and recommends using ring counts or other data when precision is needed.
Based on the texts, what would the author of Text 2 most likely say about the interpretation presented in the bolded portion of Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first underline the specific claim, idea, or sentence from one text that the question highlights (here, the bolded portion of Text 1). Then briefly summarize, in your own words, the main point and attitude (support, oppose, qualify) of the other text toward that same idea. Finally, scan the choices for the one that both (1) matches the attitude (agree/disagree) and (2) uses the same reason or evidence given in the second text, eliminating any options that introduce new topics or distort the original reasoning.
Hints
Focus on the bolded claim in Text 1
First, restate in your own words what Text 1 is claiming in the bolded sentence about trunk diameter and age.
Find how Text 2 views that same idea
Look in Text 2 for what the ecologist says about using trunk diameter as a way to tell a tree’s age. Is it described as a strong method, a weak method, or something else?
Connect the reason in Text 2 to the answer choices
What specific reason does the ecologist give for being cautious about using trunk diameter—what is said about species and growing conditions? Eliminate any choices that do not use that reasoning.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key claim in the bolded part of Text 1
The bolded portion of Text 1 says that “trunk diameter reliably reveals age across species,” and the planners use this to rank trees by age without cutting them. So Text 1 is claiming trunk diameter is a reliable (dependable) way to know age for different species.
Summarize the main point of Text 2 about trunk diameter
Text 2 says growth rates differ widely among species and with soil, water, and crowding. It gives examples: fast-growing species can have thick trunks while still young, and stressed older trees can have small diameters. Then it clearly states that “trunk diameter alone is a poor indicator of age” and suggests using ring counts or other data when accuracy matters.
Decide how the author of Text 2 would respond to Text 1’s claim
Because Text 2 calls trunk diameter alone a poor indicator of age and describes how growth rates vary, the ecologist would disagree with Text 1’s claim that trunk diameter “reliably reveals age across species.” The ecologist’s main reason is that growth depends on species and conditions, so diameter by itself can be misleading.
Match Text 2’s criticism to the best answer choice
We need a choice that (1) shows disagreement with the idea that diameter is a reliable indicator of age and (2) uses the reasoning that growth differs by species and site conditions. Choice A says “Trunk diameter by itself is an unreliable indicator of age since growth rates vary by species and site conditions.” This directly matches Text 2’s wording and reasoning, so A is the correct answer.