For cross-text agreement questions, quickly summarize each text’s main point in a simple sentence, then ask, “What big idea do they share?” Eliminate any answer that only fits one text, adds new details (like specific statistics, funding history, or predictions), or uses extreme words like “always,” “most,” or “will soon” that are not clearly supported. Finally, choose the option that captures the broad, overlapping idea both texts support, not minor details from just one of them.
Hints
- Hint 1
Identify each author’s main claim about libraries
First, restate in your own words what Text 1 says libraries do for people, then do the same for Text 2. Focus on how libraries affect people’s lives, not on dates or numbers.
- Hint 2
Look for what both texts have in common
Ask yourself: In what similar way do both texts describe the role or impact of public libraries, even though they talk about different time periods and specific resources?
- Hint 3
Watch out for extreme or extra details in the choices
Be cautious with choices that use strong words like “most,” “always,” or “will soon,” or that talk about funding sources or predictions that are not clearly stated in both texts.
Step-by-step
- Step 1
Understand Text 1’s main point
Text 1 describes Andrew Carnegie funding public libraries because he believed freely accessible books would give working people the knowledge to improve their circumstances. He calls libraries “ladders” that help people climb toward economic and social opportunity. So, Text 1’s key idea is that free library access helps people who start with less to move up.
- Step 2
Understand Text 2’s main point
Text 2 explains that modern library advocates say libraries are still vital because they reduce the digital divide—the gap in access to technology between rich and poor communities. By offering no-cost internet, job-search help, and educational programs, libraries give people who lack resources a better chance to compete academically and professionally. So, Text 2’s key idea is that libraries help people who are disadvantaged get opportunities they might otherwise miss.
- Step 3
Find the shared idea between the two texts
Now compare the two main points:
- Text 1: Free library books and resources help poor or working people gain knowledge and climb toward opportunity.
- Text 2: Free library technology and programs help people without resources compete in school and work.
In both texts, libraries are presented as free resources that help people who have fewer advantages to improve their position in society and in the economy. That shared idea is what both authors would agree with.
- Step 4
Match the shared idea to the answer choices
Look for the option that matches the idea that libraries’ free resources help reduce gaps between those with more and those with less.
- Choice B says that providing free access to information can help lessen social and economic inequalities, which directly matches how both texts describe libraries.
Therefore, the correct answer is: B) Providing free access to information can help lessen social and economic inequalities.