A question about two texts tests how one author would respond to the other’s conclusion. Read the question to find who answers whom and which conclusion they’re answering. Put each text’s claim and reason in a few words, then predict the response. Ask whether the responding author rejects the conclusion, limits when it’s true, or carries it further. The response must use that author’s own reason without making it stronger than the text allows.
Hints
- Hint 1
Start with Gomez’s conclusion, not only her reasons about commutes and workspace. How broadly does she say remote work improves efficiency?
- Hint 2
Look at what Patel says studies must account for, then reread his final sentence. What does that tell you about the strength of his response to Gomez?
Step-by-step
Connect the claim to the caution
Step 1Identify the claim Patel must answer
The question has Patel (Text 2) answer Gomez’s conclusion, so we need his view of her claim. What is she asking him to accept? She credits higher productivity to no commutes and control over a workspace, then calls remote work a universally effective strategy for improving organizational efficiency. That’s a claim with no stated exceptions.
- Step 2
Find what the studies leave out
What does Patel say these studies leave out? He lists the quality of an employee’s home office, household distractions, and caregiving duties and says studies often overlook these factors. Controlling for those factors means accounting for their effects on productivity. Without doing that, the studies can’t show whether remote work itself or those differences explain the gains, so they haven’t separated remote work from other influences.
- Step 3
Decide what Patel challenges and how strongly
Does Patel reject remote work itself, or the conclusion drawn from the studies? His phrase premature to claim means the evidence isn’t strong enough yet. He rejects Gomez’s conclusion as unsupported because it promises better results for everyone without accounting for workers’ different home situations.
- Step 4
Match Patel’s reason
Which response uses Patel’s warning about studies linking remote work to higher productivity? The phrase solely to remote work questions what causes the boost, while other factors covers the home conditions he names. This response questions the claimed cause, without ruling out benefits from remote work. Choice B.