Question 159·Hard·Cross-Text Connections

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Text 1
In an 1881 editorial, a business columnist argued that the telephone would not become indispensable until callers could reliably reach the people they intended to contact. He complained that connections were often misdirected or delayed and that asking an operator for “Mr. Reed” in a city full of Reeds was futile. Only when “common understandings” were in place—uniform numbering, dependable directories, and predictable exchange hours—would the device shed its reputation as a parlor curiosity and serve commerce consistently.

Text 2
A technology historian writing in 2015 contends that the telephone’s rapid adoption began not with dramatic improvements in audio fidelity but with the standardization of switching equipment and numbering plans. Once users could dial uniform numbers across towns and expect similar procedures everywhere, network effects took hold and routine business calls became practical. Before those standards, she notes, isolated systems operated by local customs had limited the telephone’s usefulness beyond neighborhood circles.

Based on the texts, both the columnist in Text 1 and the historian in Text 2 would most likely agree with which statement?

For cross-text agreement questions, write a brief main-idea note for each text (for example, “needs shared standards to connect reliably” and “standardization drove adoption”). Then pick the choice that matches the overlap of those notes and reject choices that (a) hinge on a detail from only one text, or (b) add a specific causal claim the texts don’t actually make.

Hints

Hint 1
Find the overlap
In each text, underline what the author says had to change before the telephone became broadly useful. Look for the common theme.
Hint 2
Track what Text 2 downplays
Text 2 explicitly says adoption did not begin with improved sound quality. Eliminate any choice that centers sound as the key factor.
Hint 3
Beware of answers that add an extra claim
Some choices may mention something related (like operators or common names) but then add a stronger claim that the texts never make (for example, that operators were no longer needed, or that names were fully replaced).

Step-by-step

Step 1
Identify the task
The question asks for a statement both authors would agree with.

So you should (1) summarize the main claim of each text about what made the telephone broadly useful, then (2) choose the option that matches the overlap.
2
Step 2
Summarize Text 1
Text 1 says the telephone won’t be indispensable until callers can reliably reach the intended person.

The columnist points to the need for “common understandings,” including:

uniform numbering

dependable directories

predictable exchange hours

These are all forms of standardization that make connections predictable.
3
Step 3
Summarize Text 2
Text 2 says rapid adoption began not with improved audio fidelity, but with the standardization of:

switching equipment

numbering plans

Once people could use uniform numbers and expect similar procedures across places, the telephone became practical for routine business use.
4
Step 4
Choose the statement supported by both texts
Compare the choices to the shared idea:

Sound quality as the main driver is rejected by Text 2.

“No operator needed” is not claimed by either text.

Name-confusion is mentioned in Text 1, but both texts emphasize broader standardization than just replacing names.

The remaining choice captures what both texts clearly stress: predictable connections depend on shared standards.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Widespread adoption of a communication tool relies on shared standards that make connections predictable.

Lessons that teach this

SAT Reading: Craft and StructureAdvancedCoreText 1 and Text 2: how would one author respond?

Question 159·Hard·Cross-Text Connections

Strategy

Hints

Step-by-step

Lessons that teach this

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Strategy

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Step-by-step

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