A question about a difference between two texts tests whether you can separate the authors’ explanations. Read the question to find what both authors are trying to explain, then sum up each claim and its reason. Then find where the explanations differ, including how sure each author is. Check each half of a choice against its own text, so neither author gets the other’s view. Wrong choices often invent a disagreement instead of describing one the texts support.
Hints
- Hint 1
Look for the reason behind Text 1’s bedtime advice. What does the author say makes evening screen use interfere with sleep?
- Hint 2
In Text 2, link the trial’s result to the researchers’ proposed cause. How does that cause compare with the one in Text 1?
Step-by-step
Compare the causes
Step 1Find Text 1’s reason
Text 1 says blue light interferes with the body’s nightly release of melatonin. Since we’re comparing explanations for sleep problems, why does this author recommend avoiding screens? The advice follows from that disruption, so Text 1’s explanation centers on blue light.
- Step 2
Connect Text 2’s result to its proposed cause
What changes when Text 2’s volunteers use filters? The trial finds little difference in sleep duration or reported sleep quality, so reducing blue light didn’t change those sleep results much. The researchers propose that late-night reading, gaming, or messaging can keep the mind active and delay sleep. Their phrase may be what most delays sleep makes this a possible leading cause, not a proven one.
- Step 3
Match both sides of the difference
Where do the authors’ explanations differ? They give the most weight to different causes, while Text 2’s not just the color of the light leaves room for light to matter too. The choice with mainly to blue light and mental stimulation from content shows that difference while keeping Text 2’s cause as a possibility. Choice A.