Question 23·Medium·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Online courses may deliver information efficiently, but they cannot match the educational depth of in-person classes. Real learning, the kind that pushes students to revise their assumptions, arises from spontaneous exchanges—eye contact, overlapping questions, and the collective energy of a room. Discussion boards and video calls are at best imitations of that experience. Without physical presence, a genuine academic community cannot form, so online courses remain a convenient but inferior substitute for the classroom.
Text 2
The view that online courses cannot foster genuine interaction confuses a medium with the way it is used. In thoughtfully designed online courses, students discuss readings in moderated forums where they cite evidence, revise posts, and respond across time zones; quieter students often contribute more than they do in a crowded lecture hall. Small-group video conferences and collaborative documents create direct, sustained dialogue, and the written record of these exchanges allows instructors to provide targeted feedback. When courses are built with these practices in mind, online learning can equal—and in some cases surpass—the engagement and outcomes of in-person classes.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the overall argument presented in Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first summarize each text’s main claim in one short sentence, especially noting any direct comparisons (better, worse, equal). Then decide whether the second text agrees, disagrees, or partially agrees with the first. Finally, scan the answer choices for the one that best captures that relationship without adding new ideas (like cost, course level, or details not mentioned). Use strong phrases in the passages—especially conclusions and final sentences—to confirm your choice and quickly eliminate options that contradict or go beyond what the texts say.
Hints
Clarify Text 1’s position
Ask yourself: According to Text 1, how do online courses compare overall to in-person classes—are they equal, better, or worse?
Clarify Text 2’s position
Now ask: Does Text 2 mostly agree with that comparison, or does it challenge it? Look for phrases that show what Text 2 thinks about the quality of interaction online.
Use the final sentence of Text 2
Pay close attention to the last sentence of Text 2, where the author directly compares the engagement and outcomes of online courses to those of in-person classes.
Eliminate answers that don’t match Text 2
Cross out any answer choices that suggest Text 2 is giving in to Text 1’s argument, limiting online courses to certain levels, or focusing on topics (like money) that neither text discusses.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Text 1’s overall argument
Read Text 1 and restate its main point in your own words. Text 1 claims that online courses are inherently weaker than in-person classes: they supposedly cannot create real, spontaneous interaction or a genuine academic community, so they are a “convenient but inferior substitute.”
Identify Text 2’s main response to that view
Now look at how Text 2 talks about online courses. It says the belief that online courses cannot foster genuine interaction “confuses a medium with the way it is used.” Then it gives examples of rich interaction in online courses: moderated forums, small-group video conferences, collaborative documents, and targeted feedback, and notes that quieter students may actually participate more online.
Compare their conclusions about online vs. in-person outcomes
Focus on Text 2’s conclusion: “When courses are built with these practices in mind, online learning can equal—and in some cases surpass—the engagement and outcomes of in-person classes.” This directly challenges Text 1’s idea that online courses are necessarily a weaker, less serious form of learning.
Match the comparison to the answer choice
You are asked how the author of Text 2 would respond to Text 1’s overall argument. Text 2 would argue that, if they are well designed, online courses can support substantial interaction and reach learning results comparable to in-person classes. That is exactly what choice A) By arguing that well-designed online courses can facilitate substantive interaction and achieve learning outcomes comparable to those of in-person classes says, so A is correct.