Question 120·Medium·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Urban sociologist Marco Leto argues that many city tree-planting campaigns falter because residents favor immediate conveniences—such as curbside parking and unobstructed storefronts—over long-term canopy goals. He claims that projects planned largely by outside groups often overlook these neighborhood priorities, so plantings rarely receive the sustained care they require.
Text 2
Community organizer Sana Idris contends that residents’ priorities are not inherently opposed to urban tree-planting. In neighborhoods where she has worked, projects improved when neighbors co-designed the plans—identifying shade needs near bus stops and playgrounds and choosing smaller species that preserved parking—and when block captains coordinated watering schedules. In her view, the main obstacle is not resident preference but the lack of genuine involvement and tailored planning.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Leto’s claim in Text 1 that residents’ preferences make tree-planting campaigns unsustainable?
For cross-text questions, first isolate the key claim in the question (here, Leto’s statement about residents’ preferences). Then briefly summarize how the second text treats that same idea—does it support, qualify, or challenge it? Before looking at the choices, state in your own words how the second author would respond. Finally, eliminate any options that contradict the second text’s details or tone, and choose the one that best captures the relationship you already identified, avoiding answers that introduce new ideas not mentioned in either text.
Hints
Locate the key claim in Text 1
Reread Text 1 and underline the sentence that explains why Leto thinks tree-planting campaigns often fail. What does he say about residents’ preferences?
Summarize Text 2’s main point
In Text 2, ask yourself: Does Idris think residents’ priorities are the main problem, or is something else the real obstacle? Look for the sentence that begins "In her view…"
Compare the authors’ views
Think about whether Idris would agree, disagree, or partly agree with Leto. Does she see residents’ preferences as unchangeable, or does she think outcomes improve under certain conditions?
Eliminate choices that contradict Text 2
Cross out any answer that says residents mostly oppose trees, that experts should work without residents, or that parking must always be removed. Then see which remaining option best fits Idris’s perspective.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Leto’s main claim in Text 1
Focus on the key argument in Text 1:
- Leto says many campaigns fail because residents prefer immediate conveniences (parking, clear storefronts) over long-term tree canopy.
- He also notes that projects are often planned by outside groups that overlook these priorities.
- As a result, plantings “rarely receive the sustained care they require.”
So Leto is essentially blaming residents’ preferences (and outside planners ignoring them) for making tree-planting hard to sustain.
Identify Idris’s main claim in Text 2
Now look at how Idris describes the situation:
- She explicitly says residents’ priorities are “not inherently opposed” to tree-planting.
- In her work, projects improved when neighbors co-designed plans, chose tree species that preserved parking, and set up watering schedules.
- She concludes that the main obstacle is not what residents prefer, but the lack of genuine involvement and tailored planning.
So Idris shifts the focus away from blaming residents’ preferences and toward how projects are planned and managed.
Decide how Text 2 would respond to Text 1
Compare the two positions:
- Leto: residents’ desire for conveniences makes campaigns hard to sustain.
- Idris: residents’ priorities can fit with tree projects when those projects are designed with them and for their specific needs.
So the author of Text 2 would challenge Leto’s idea that resident preferences themselves are the core problem, and instead emphasize that better, more inclusive planning changes the outcome.
Match that relationship to the answer choices
Now test each answer against Idris’s point of view:
- B says most residents oppose trees no matter what—this directly contradicts Text 2.
- C says success happens only when experts act without neighborhood input—the opposite of what Idris describes.
- D proposes removing parking for planters—even though Idris highlights choosing smaller trees to preserve parking.
Only choice A) Involving residents in planning can align tree projects with their preferences and lead to better long-term care. matches Idris’s argument that resident involvement and tailored planning can make tree projects both acceptable to residents and more sustainable.