Question 26·Medium·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Climatologist Elena Navarro argues that tree–ring records provide a weak and inconsistent measure of pre-industrial temperature. According to Navarro, ring width can be affected by many variables—such as soil nutrients and rainfall—making it impossible to isolate temperature as the primary driver of growth. She concludes that reconstructions based on tree rings should be treated with considerable skepticism.
Text 2
Paleobotanist Marcus Lee contends that doubting tree-ring data ignores decades of calibration studies. By comparing modern ring growth with instrumental temperature records, Lee notes, researchers have demonstrated a strong, region-specific correlation between wider rings and warmer growing seasons. While acknowledging that factors like rainfall play a role, Lee maintains that statistical methods can separate those influences, thereby making tree-ring series a reliable proxy for past temperature trends.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to Navarro’s claim about the unreliability of tree-ring data in Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first state each author’s main claim in your own words—one short sentence per text. Then identify the key point of disagreement or response (for example, one author doubts a method, the other defends it). Finally, scan the answer choices and pick the one that accurately paraphrases what the second text says about the first, without adding new ideas, shifting topics, or echoing the opinion of the wrong author. Stay grounded strictly in what the passages say, not what you personally know about the subject.
Hints
Compare the overall stances
Ask yourself: Does the author of Text 2 generally agree with Navarro that tree rings are unreliable, or is he pushing back against that view? Focus on the verbs and adjectives each author uses to describe tree-ring data.
Locate the key disagreement
In Text 1, find the sentence where Navarro gives her conclusion about how tree-ring reconstructions should be treated. Then, in Text 2, find the sentences where Lee explains why he thinks that kind of doubt is misguided.
Focus on how Text 2 addresses doubts
Pay attention in Text 2 to the discussion of what researchers have actually done with tree-ring data and temperature records. What does Lee say those studies show about the usefulness of tree rings for understanding past temperatures?
Eliminate off-topic choices
Check each option and ask: Does Text 2 ever discuss this idea at all (for example, different kinds of climate records or changing what researchers should prioritize), or is it introducing something new that isn’t in the passage?
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify what the question is asking
The question asks how the author of Text 2 (Lee) would respond to Navarro’s claim in Text 1 that tree-ring data are unreliable. So you must:
- Identify Navarro’s main claim about tree rings in Text 1.
- Then see what Lee says in Text 2 that directly answers or contradicts that claim.
- Finally, choose the option that best matches Lee’s response to Navarro.
Identify Navarro’s claim in Text 1
Look at the key phrases in Text 1:
- Navarro says tree–ring records provide a “weak and inconsistent” measure of temperature.
- She notes that ring width is affected by many variables (soil nutrients, rainfall, etc.).
- She concludes that reconstructions based on tree rings should be treated “with considerable skepticism.”
So Navarro’s core position is: tree-ring data are not a trustworthy measure of past temperature because other factors interfere too much.
Summarize Lee’s counterargument in Text 2
Now focus on how Lee in Text 2 addresses those doubts:
- He says that “doubting tree-ring data ignores decades of calibration studies.”
- By comparing modern ring growth with instrumental temperature records, he says researchers have shown a “strong, region-specific correlation” between wider rings and warmer seasons.
- He acknowledges other factors like rainfall but says “statistical methods can separate those influences.”
- He concludes that tree-ring series are a “reliable proxy for past temperature trends.”
So Lee’s main response is: when tree-ring data are calibrated and statistically analyzed, they can reliably reflect past temperatures, directly challenging Navarro’s skepticism.
Match Lee’s response to the best answer choice
Now compare your summary of Lee’s position with the answer choices:
- One choice says that calibration with modern temperature records, combined with correct analysis, shows that tree-ring data can reliably reflect past temperatures.
This exactly matches Lee’s points about calibration studies, strong correlation with temperature, and tree rings being a reliable proxy. Therefore, the correct answer is:
A) Calibration with modern temperature records shows that, when analyzed correctly, tree-ring data can reliably reflect past temperatures.