Question 119·Medium·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Office spaces are the heart of innovation. Being physically together lets employees bounce ideas off one another in real time, which simply cannot be replicated through a screen. When people work from home, they are more prone to distraction, and managers have little way of knowing whether tasks are actually being completed. Productivity inevitably suffers when workers aren’t under the same roof.
Text 2
While in-person interaction can be valuable, remote work hardly dooms productivity. A 2022 survey of more than 5,000 employees across multiple industries found that those who worked from home completed 13 percent more tasks per week than their in-office counterparts. Digital platforms allow teams to document every step of a project, making contributions highly visible to managers and co-workers alike. Commute-free schedules and flexible hours can, in fact, increase focus and output.
Based on the texts, which statement best describes how the author of Text 2 would most likely respond to the author of Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first summarize each text’s main claim in a short phrase (for example, “remote work hurts productivity” vs. “remote work can boost productivity”). Then decide the relationship: Does the second text mostly agree, partly agree but qualify, directly refute, or propose a compromise? Finally, eliminate choices that introduce ideas not supported by either text (like new policies or limits) or that focus on side details instead of the central disagreement, and pick the option that best captures how the second author’s main point responds to the first author’s main point.
Hints
Clarify what Text 1 is arguing
Reread the last two sentences of Text 1. What does the author say happens to productivity when people work from home, and why?
Clarify what Text 2 is arguing
Look closely at the survey result and the sentences after it in Text 2. Do they describe remote workers as doing fewer tasks, the same number of tasks, or more tasks than in-office workers?
Decide if Text 2 agrees, partly agrees, or disagrees
Ask yourself: Does Text 2 mostly support Text 1’s view, soften it with limits, propose a compromise, or push back against it with evidence? Then look for the answer choice that matches that kind of response.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Text 1’s main claim about remote work
Focus on the last two sentences of Text 1: "When people work from home, they are more prone to distraction... Productivity inevitably suffers when workers aren’t under the same roof." The author argues that:
- Remote workers are more distracted.
- Managers cannot easily tell if work is being done.
- As a result, productivity goes down when people work from home. So Text 1’s key claim is that remote work reduces productivity and makes it hard to track work.
Identify Text 2’s main claim about remote work
Look at the beginning and the evidence in Text 2: "remote work hardly dooms productivity" and the 2022 survey result that at-home workers "completed 13 percent more tasks per week" than in-office workers. The author also says digital platforms make contributions highly visible and that commute-free schedules can increase focus and output.
So Text 2 argues that:
- Remote work does not harm productivity.
- In fact, remote workers can be more productive.
- Their work can still be clearly seen and tracked by managers.
Determine how Text 2 responds to Text 1’s claim
Compare the two positions:
- Text 1: Remote work = more distraction, less oversight, lower productivity.
- Text 2: Remote work = 13% more tasks, documented work, higher or at least strong productivity.
This means Text 2 is disagreeing with Text 1 on the key point about productivity, and it uses specific measurable evidence (a survey and percentage) to challenge Text 1’s claim that remote workers accomplish less.
Match that relationship to the best answer choice
Now check which option says that Text 2 uses evidence to contradict Text 1’s claim about remote productivity:
- A talks about online tools creating the same spontaneous idea sharing as offices, which Text 2 never actually claims.
- C suggests limiting remote work to a few specialized industries, but Text 2 cites workers across multiple industries and does not call for limiting remote work.
- D proposes a hybrid schedule, which Text 2 never recommends.
- B says Text 2 responds "by pointing out that measurable productivity gains among remote workers contradict the claim that they accomplish less" — this exactly matches the 13% statistic and the way Text 2 challenges Text 1’s statement about productivity.
Therefore, the correct answer is B) By pointing out that measurable productivity gains among remote workers contradict the claim that they accomplish less.