Question 40·Easy·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Literary prizes in the United States overwhelmingly favor novels. In the last two decades, fewer than 5 percent of the books shortlisted for the nation’s four largest fiction awards have been short‐story collections. Even when such collections are hailed by critics and embraced by general readers, prize committees tend to dismiss them—apparently believing that novels, with their lengthier narratives, better represent literary achievement.
Text 2
Jesmyn Patel’s 2022 debut, Riverbank Tales, sold out its first print run within weeks and was lauded by reviewers for its vivid characters and tight prose. Yet despite its enthusiastic reception, Patel’s collection of interlinked short stories failed to appear on any major award shortlist that year.
Based on the two texts, how would the author of Text 1 most likely view the situation described in the bolded sentence in Text 2?
For cross‑text connection questions, first summarize each text in one sentence, focusing on the author’s main claim and attitude. Then, ask: “If the author of Text 1 saw the situation in Text 2, would they be surprised, approving, critical, or unsurprised?” Look for repeating patterns or contrasts between the texts and choose the option that (1) matches the emotional tone (surprised vs. expected, approving vs. disapproving) and (2) uses reasoning that is actually stated or clearly implied in the texts, eliminating any answer that adds new, unsupported ideas.
Hints
Focus on Text 1’s description of prize behavior
Reread the sentences in Text 1 about how often short‑story collections get shortlisted and how prize committees treat them. Is this described as normal/typical or as unusual?
Pay attention to the phrase starting with “Even when…”
In Text 1, what does the author say happens to short‑story collections even when critics and readers like them? How does that compare to what happens to Patel’s book in Text 2?
Check the tone of each answer choice
Ask yourself: Would the author of Text 1 be mainly surprised, disappointed, or unsurprised by Patel’s experience? Then, eliminate any answer choices that (1) use a different emotion than that, or (2) rely on ideas that never appear in either text (like special preferences for "formally daring" works).
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify Text 1’s main claim and attitude
Look at what Text 1 says about how literary prizes treat short‑story collections. It emphasizes that prizes "overwhelmingly favor novels" and that fewer than 5 percent of shortlisted books are short‑story collections. The author also notes that prize committees "tend to dismiss" short‑story collections. This shows a critical attitude toward prize committees and a clear pattern: short‑story collections are usually overlooked.
Notice the key condition in Text 1
Pay close attention to the phrase "Even when such collections are hailed by critics and embraced by general readers, prize committees tend to dismiss them." This tells you that positive reviews and strong reader support do not usually lead to awards for short‑story collections. In other words, the lack of prize recognition for a praised collection is something the author sees as common, not rare.
Understand what happens in the bolded sentence of Text 2
In Text 2, Patel’s Riverbank Tales is described as a short‑story collection that "sold out its first print run" (strong sales) and was "lauded by reviewers" (critical praise). Yet it "failed to appear on any major award shortlist." This is exactly the scenario Text 1 described: a short‑story collection that is both popular and critically acclaimed but still ignored by prize committees.
Match Text 1’s view to the answer choice
Since Text 1 says that prize committees routinely dismiss short‑story collections even when they are praised and popular, the author would see Patel’s situation as in line with that pattern, not as shocking or based on some new standard. The choice that presents the bolded event as expected and explains it by stating that prize committees rarely honor short‑story collections, even when they receive critical or popular praise, is D) As predictable, because prize committees rarely honor short‐story collections regardless of critical or popular praise.