A question about two texts tests how one author would respond to another author’s claim about cause and effect. Read the question to see who answers whom, then put each text’s claim and reason in a few words. Use both texts to judge how much the author accepts: all of the claim, part of it, or none. A response must use that author’s own reason and go no further than the text supports.
Hints
- Hint 1
The question asks for Ramos’s response to Cheng’s claim. Find what he accepts and what he cautions against in his opening sentence.
- Hint 2
Look for what the cross-national studies compare. What differs between the regions that form more start-ups and the wealthier regions?
- Hint 3
How does Ramos’s final sentence limit the role he gives financial security at the start?
Step-by-step
Match the view and the reason
Step 1Find the claim Ramos must judge
Start with how would Ramos (Text 2) most likely respond to Cheng’s (Text 1) claim: Ramos is the one answering. What claim is he judging? Cheng reports that applications for business licenses rose by 22 percent after guaranteed payments and argues that financial security lets people pursue ideas they would otherwise find too risky.
- Step 2
Name Ramos’s view
How much of that claim does Ramos accept? He accepts that financial security can play a role in entrepreneurial activity, but cautions that money alone rarely propels people to start businesses. Ramos would qualify the claim, which means he’d accept it only in part or under certain conditions.
- Step 3
Find Ramos’s own reason
Ramos’s evidence compares regions with high levels of social trust and robust mentorship networks to wealthier areas. Why does that comparison matter? The regions with stronger social supports form more start-ups even though the other areas have more money. So wealth alone doesn't explain who starts businesses: Ramos has a reason to see trust and mentorship as important alongside income.
- Step 4
Match the response’s wording
The closing limit is without these cultural supports: most people would still avoid entrepreneurship even with extra income. The response saying not enough by itself and equally—if not more—important matches both Ramos’s view and his reason. It shows that income can help without being enough and gives social and cultural supports the weight Ramos’s studies support. Choice D.