Question 130·Easy·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1 Public libraries should reaffirm their original mission as quiet repositories of books. Converting floor space into makerspaces, gaming tables, and cafés only distracts from that purpose, strains limited budgets, and jeopardizes the silent atmosphere that readers need. By preserving large print collections and maintaining hushed reading rooms, libraries can best serve the public.
Text 2 Public libraries have continually evolved. Over the past century they have offered lecture series, children’s story times, job-search assistance, and digital lending, while still circulating print. The constant is access to knowledge, not adherence to a single format or a uniformly silent environment. Quiet rooms remain important, but libraries should also support collaborative learning through programs and tools like coding clubs and 3D printers.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claim in Text 1 that libraries should remain primarily quiet repositories of books?
For cross-text questions, first summarize each passage’s main claim in your own words, focusing on what each author thinks libraries (or the subject) should be like. Then ask: Would the second author agree, partly agree, or disagree with the first author’s main claim, and for what reason? Finally, go to the answer choices and eliminate any that: (1) have the wrong stance (agree vs. disagree), or (2) give a reason that the second text does not actually mention. Work from text evidence, not from your own opinions about the topic.
Hints
Clarify Text 1’s position
Reread the first and last sentences of Text 1. What does the author say libraries should be, and what types of spaces does this author criticize?
Clarify Text 2’s position
Focus on the sentences in Text 2 that mention how libraries have “continually evolved” and the idea that “the constant is access to knowledge.” What kinds of spaces and activities does Text 2 support?
Compare agreement vs. disagreement
Ask yourself: Would the Text 2 author support the idea that libraries should be primarily quiet book repositories, or would they want something broader? Decide first whether they would agree, partly agree, or disagree.
Connect your comparison to an answer choice
After deciding whether Text 2 agrees or disagrees with Text 1, look for the choice that matches both that stance and Text 2’s specific reasoning about how libraries should function.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Text 1’s main claim
Look at the key sentence in Text 1: “Public libraries should reaffirm their original mission as quiet repositories of books.” The author:
- Opposes converting space into “makerspaces, gaming tables, and cafés”
- Says these “distract,” “strain budgets,” and “jeopardize the silent atmosphere”
- Concludes that preserving print collections and “hushed reading rooms” is how libraries “can best serve the public”
So Text 1 favors a primarily quiet, book-focused library model and criticizes newer, more active uses of space.
Identify Text 2’s main view of libraries
Text 2 emphasizes change and a broader mission:
- “Public libraries have continually evolved.”
- Lists many services beyond quiet book storage (lectures, story times, job-search help, digital lending)
- Says “The constant is access to knowledge, not adherence to a single format or a uniformly silent environment.”
- Adds that “Quiet rooms remain important,” but libraries should also support collaborative learning (e.g., “coding clubs and 3D printers”).
So Text 2 supports both quiet spaces and additional programs/tools.
Compare what Text 2 values to Text 1’s claim
Text 1 treats quiet book storage as the primary purpose of libraries and argues against makerspaces and similar additions.
Text 2, however, emphasizes that the defining feature of libraries is access to knowledge across changing formats and services; it also explicitly supports collaborative learning programs while still recognizing the value of quiet rooms.
That contrast indicates that Text 2 would not endorse limiting libraries mainly to quiet repositories of books.
Match that relationship to the best answer choice
The best choice should reflect Text 2’s broader view: libraries can evolve, offer collaborative programs, and still keep quiet rooms.
Disagree, because libraries have long evolved and can offer collaborative programs while still keeping quiet rooms