Question 150·Medium·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Listening to a book isn’t really reading. Audiobooks make it too easy to let your mind wander while a narrator carries you along. Because the voice already provides pacing and expression, listeners don’t have to do the hard cognitive work that print demands. In the end, audiobooks may be fine as background entertainment, but they don’t cultivate deep comprehension.
Text 2
Comprehending an audiobook still requires focused attention, inference, and recall, just as reading print does. Studies have found that when people listen attentively, their understanding and retention are comparable to reading the same text on the page. Far from replacing thought, a skilled narration can highlight structure and tone that support analysis. Audiobooks also make literature accessible in contexts where print isn’t practical or possible.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the claims of the author of Text 1?
For cross-text questions, quickly summarize each text’s main claim and attitude in a few words (for example: Text 1 = “audiobooks don’t build deep comprehension,” Text 2 = “audiobooks can match print comprehension with attentive listening”). Then, answer the question by asking how one author would respond to the other—are they agreeing, disagreeing, or qualifying? When checking choices, eliminate any that (1) repeat the view of the wrong text, (2) introduce extreme language like “only,” “mostly,” or “superior” that isn’t in the passage, or (3) add new ideas (such as pronunciation) that the text never mentions. Pick the option that most accurately paraphrases what the second text actually says in response to the first.
Hints
Compare the overall opinions
Decide first: does the author of Text 2 mostly agree with Text 1 about audiobooks, mostly disagree, or take a more mixed/neutral stance?
Focus on comprehension in Text 2
Reread the sentences in Text 2 about what “comprehending an audiobook” requires and what studies show about understanding and retention. How does this relate to Text 1’s claim that audiobooks don’t “cultivate deep comprehension”?
Watch for extreme or new ideas in the choices
Look for answer choices that introduce ideas Text 2 never mentions, such as audiobooks being “superior,” “mostly entertainment,” or “only” offering one narrow benefit. Eliminate any option that clearly goes beyond or contradicts Text 2.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand Text 1’s main claim
Text 1 argues that listening to a book “isn’t really reading.” It says audiobooks:
- Let your mind wander
- Provide pacing and expression for you
- Don’t require “hard cognitive work”
- Are “fine as background entertainment,” but “don’t cultivate deep comprehension”
So Text 1 is strongly negative about audiobooks’ ability to build serious understanding.
Understand Text 2’s main claim
Text 2 describes what listening to an audiobook actually involves:
- It says comprehension “still requires focused attention, inference, and recall, just as reading print does.”
- It cites studies showing that with attentive listening, understanding and retention are “comparable” to reading the same text in print.
- It says narration can “highlight structure and tone that support analysis,” and that audiobooks improve access to literature.
So Text 2 argues that audiobooks can support deep comprehension and analysis in ways similar to print.
Figure out how Text 2 would respond to Text 1
Text 1 says audiobooks are basically background entertainment and don’t build deep comprehension.
Text 2 would disagree and respond that:
- Comprehending an audiobook can involve as much mental effort as reading print.
- When listening attentively, people can understand and remember about as well as when they read.
- Narration does not replace thought; it can actually help highlight structure and tone, which supports analysis.
So we are looking for an answer choice where Text 2 corrects or counters Text 1 using these ideas.
Match that response to the answer choices
Check each option against what Text 2 actually says:
- A says audiobooks are “mostly entertainment” and “do little to build comprehension.” That agrees with Text 1, but Text 2 disagrees and provides evidence of strong comprehension, so A is wrong.
- C says audiobooks are better than print and should replace printed books in schools. Text 2 never claims audiobooks are superior or should replace print; it only says they can be comparable in comprehension and useful where print isn’t practical, so C is too extreme.
- D says audiobooks mainly help with pronunciation and don’t improve understanding of the story or ideas. Text 2 doesn’t mention pronunciation at all; instead, it talks about comprehension, inference, recall, and analysis, so D is wrong.
The remaining choice, B, says that focused listening can produce comprehension like print and that narration can aid analysis, which matches Text 2’s response to Text 1.
Correct answer: By explaining that focused listening can produce comprehension like print and that narration can aid analysis.