A question about two texts tests whether you can judge a specific situation from another author’s point of view. Start by finding who is responding to what, then put that author’s main claim and reason in a few words. Ask whether the situation challenges that view or gives another example of it. Predict the reaction and its reason from the texts. A response can sound reasonable and still give a reason the author never offers.
Hints
- Hint 1
Identify who is giving the response in the question, then reread the bolded sentence to pin down what that person is judging.
- Hint 2
Look for Text 1’s view of historians’ choices. What does the author say they favor, and what do they overlook?
- Hint 3
Compare the focus of Market Street Voices with the exhibits described in Text 1. Ask whether this case supports or challenges Text 1’s claim.
Step-by-step
Match the case to the author’s view
Step 1Identify the situation and viewpoint
The bolded sentence says that, despite visitor success, it received almost no attention from university historians in the state. Whose view are we using to judge that gap? The question names Text 1’s author, so we need that author’s view of historians’ lack of attention, not our own reaction.
- Step 2
Find the pattern and its reason
What does Text 1 say historians tend to overlook? The author says historians favor sweeping narratives that promise national significance, while projects focused on immigrant neighborhoods are dismissed most often. That author is criticizing the neglect, not agreeing that immigrant stories lack value.
- Step 3
Apply the pattern to this exhibit
Does Market Street Voices fit that pattern? It centers on oral histories from the city’s Vietnamese and Somali shopkeepers, which makes it a local exhibit about immigrant communities. Text 1 says careful research and presentation don’t prevent neglect, so the historians’ response is another example of the author’s point. The reaction As unsurprising gives that view and the reason behind it: historians favor broad national stories. Choice D.