Question 76·Easy·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1
In a popular science essay, journalist Dana Coles claims that laughter is an ability found only in Homo sapiens. Coles argues that laughter relies on complex social awareness and language‐based humor, concluding, "Only humans possess the cognitive sophistication necessary to produce genuine laughter."
Text 2
Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp and colleagues have shown that juvenile rats emit distinctive, high‐frequency chirps when tickled. The sounds occur most often during play and are accompanied by eager return for more tickling, suggesting that the rats are experiencing something akin to joy. While these chirps differ from human laughter in pitch and form, many researchers now regard them as a nonhuman analogue of laughter.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the underlined claim in Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, start by underlining the key claim or idea in the first text (especially words like "only," "never," or "always"). Then summarize in a few words what the second text says about that same topic and decide: does it agree, disagree, or qualify the claim? Finally, pick the answer that accurately captures both the stance (agree/disagree) and the reason (the specific evidence or argument from the second text), avoiding choices that introduce new ideas or go beyond what either text actually states.
Hints
Pinpoint the exact claim in Text 1
Look closely at the underlined sentence. What is the author saying about who can produce genuine laughter, and what word makes the claim absolute?
Summarize Text 2 in your own words
Ask yourself: What behavior in rats does Text 2 describe, and how do researchers interpret that behavior? Is it presented as something similar to a human trait?
Compare the positions of the two texts
Does the information in Text 2 support or contradict the idea that only humans can perform the behavior described in Text 1? Then, choose the option that best reflects that relationship.
Check for exaggerations in the answer choices
Be careful with choices that add claims not found in Text 2, such as talking about many different animals, identical behaviors, or features (like facial expressions) that the passage never mentions.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the key claim in Text 1
Focus on the underlined sentence in Text 1: "Only humans possess the cognitive sophistication necessary to produce genuine laughter." The crucial word is "Only"—the author is claiming that no nonhuman animals can truly laugh.
Understand what Text 2 shows about rats
Text 2 explains that juvenile rats make distinctive, high-frequency chirps when tickled and during play. These chirps:
- Happen in joyful, playful contexts
- Are linked to the rats eagerly returning for more tickling
- Are considered by many researchers to be a nonhuman analogue of laughter
This means researchers see these sounds as a rat version of laughter, even though they differ in pitch and form from human laughter.
Decide how the Text 2 author would respond to Text 1
Text 1 says only humans can produce genuine laughter. Text 2 presents scientific evidence that rats produce sounds in joyful, playful situations that many scientists consider an analogue of laughter. So the author of Text 2 would disagree with the idea that laughter is exclusive to humans and would use rat research to challenge that claim.
Match that response to the answer choices
We need the choice where the Text 2 author uses evidence about rats to challenge the claim that laughter belongs only to humans. That is exactly what choice B) By citing evidence that rats produce laughter‐like vocalizations, challenging the idea that laughter is exclusive to humans describes, so B is correct.