Question 63·Hard·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
Cultural historian Laura Mendel argues that the rapid spread of coffeehouses in eighteenth-century London created “the most socially egalitarian public sphere the city had yet seen.” According to Mendel, the price of a cup of coffee was low enough that laborers could sit beside aristocrats, and the absence of formal membership requirements allowed newcomers to participate freely in political debate.
Text 2
Sociologist Daniel Shore has examined contemporary accounting books, lease agreements, and diaries from several London coffeehouses. His research indicates that proprietors routinely charged entrance fees during peak hours, and that many coffeehouses required patrons to purchase costly pamphlets before joining discussions. Shore concludes that, while the venues were technically open to all, their economic practices “effectively filtered out most of the city’s working poor.”
Based on the texts, how would Shore (Text 2) most likely respond to Mendel’s claim (Text 1) that London coffeehouses were genuinely egalitarian spaces?
For cross-text connection questions, first read each text (or the key lines) and, in your own words, write a 5–8 word summary of each author’s main claim and attitude (supporting or criticizing some idea). Then note the relationship between the two (agreement, partial agreement, or disagreement and why). Finally, go through the answer choices and eliminate any that add new ideas not in the texts, misrepresent whether the second author agrees or disagrees, or ignore the specific evidence the second author uses; choose the option that most accurately captures how the second text responds to the first.
Hints
Restate each author’s main point
Briefly summarize Mendel’s view of coffeehouses in one short sentence, and then do the same for Shore. Focus on what each says about who could actually participate.
Check whether Shore agrees or disagrees
Ask yourself: Does Shore’s research mainly support Mendel’s idea of egalitarian spaces, or does it challenge it by showing limits to that equality?
Focus on the role of money in Text 2
Pay close attention to Shore’s details about entrance fees and costly pamphlets. How do these details affect the ability of poorer people to join discussions, and how would that affect his response to Mendel?
Eliminate options that don’t match Shore’s tone and evidence
Look for answer choices that (1) misstate whether Shore agrees or disagrees with Mendel, or (2) minimize Shore’s conclusion about who was excluded. Remove those before choosing from what remains.
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify Mendel’s main claim in Text 1
Look at what Mendel says about coffeehouses in Text 1. She calls them “the most socially egalitarian public sphere the city had yet seen.” She supports this by saying the coffee was cheap enough for laborers and aristocrats to sit together and that there were no formal membership requirements. So her main idea is that coffeehouses were genuinely open and equal spaces for people of different social classes to join public debate.
Clarify Shore’s main claim in Text 2
Now look at Text 2. Shore studies financial records and finds that proprietors often charged entrance fees and required people to buy costly pamphlets before joining discussions. Because of this, he concludes that these practices “effectively filtered out most of the city’s working poor.” His main idea is that, in practice, many poorer people could not really participate because of money-related barriers.
Determine how Shore views Mendel’s egalitarian claim
Compare the two views. Mendel says coffeehouses were socially egalitarian because they were cheap and open, suggesting that everyone, including laborers, could participate. Shore says that economic practices like entrance fees and expensive pamphlets kept most working poor out. That means Shore would push back against Mendel’s claim, arguing that her picture of equal access is incomplete because she does not account for these economic filters.
Match that relationship to the answer choices
Now test each option against this relationship:
- One author (Mendel) claims egalitarian access to debate.
- The other (Shore) finds economic practices that excluded many poor people and therefore would challenge that claim. Look for the choice where Shore responds by criticizing or correcting Mendel using economic barriers as his key point. The best match is: By contending that Mendel overlooks economic barriers that prevented many lower-income citizens from participating.