Question 99·Hard·Cross-Text Connections
Text 1 Urban planner Marisol López contends that the most efficient way to lessen a city’s heat-island effect is to install green roofs. According to López, the soil and vegetation on these roofs not only cool the surrounding air through evapotranspiration but also insulate buildings year-round. Because their substrate and plant layers trap warmth during cold months, she concludes, green roofs lower annual energy consumption more effectively than reflective roofs, which merely bounce sunlight away.
Text 2 In a 2022 field study of 100 comparable office buildings, engineer Samira Ahmadi measured energy use after half the buildings received reflective (high-albedo) roofs and the rest received extensive green roofs. Ahmadi’s team reported that during the hottest four months, reflective roofs reduced interior cooling demand by an average of 18 percent—nearly double the reduction recorded for the green-roofed buildings. Winter heating demand, by contrast, differed by less than 2 percent between the two groups. The researchers therefore recommended reflective roofs as the more effective, broadly applicable strategy for diminishing both peak temperatures and overall energy consumption in warm climates.
Based on the texts, how would Ahmadi’s team (Text 2) most likely respond to López’s claim in the underlined portion of Text 1?
For cross-text connection questions, first isolate the exact claim or sentence from Text 1 the question points to and restate it in your own words. Then read the relevant part of Text 2 and quickly summarize that author’s main finding or opinion on the same issue, noting whether it supports, contradicts, or modifies Text 1. Decide in simple terms: Does Author 2 agree, disagree, or partially agree, and for what reason? Finally, eliminate answer choices that misstate either author’s view, introduce ideas not in the texts, or get the agree/disagree relationship wrong, and choose the one that accurately captures both the stance and the reasoning from Text 2 about the claim in Text 1.
Hints
Pin down López’s claim first
Re-read only the underlined sentence in Text 1. What is López claiming about which roof type lowers annual energy consumption more, and what reason does she give?
Find the key comparison numbers in Text 2
In Text 2, underline the percentages for cooling and heating demand for the two roof types. Which type shows a much bigger change in cooling, and how big is the difference in heating?
Decide whether Ahmadi would agree or disagree
Given Ahmadi’s data and recommendation, would her team support López’s idea that green roofs save more energy over the year, or would they challenge it? Look for the option that clearly reflects that stance using the evidence from Text 2.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand López’s specific claim (the underlined portion)
Focus on what López is saying in the underlined part of Text 1:
- She argues that green roofs trap warmth during cold months.
- Because of this insulation, she concludes that green roofs lower annual energy consumption more effectively than reflective roofs, which she describes as roofs that “merely bounce sunlight away.”
So her key idea: over a whole year, green roofs save more energy than reflective roofs because they help with winter heating.
Summarize Ahmadi’s main findings from Text 2
Now look at what Ahmadi’s study actually found:
- During the hottest four months, reflective roofs reduced cooling demand by 18%, which was nearly double the reduction for green roofs.
- In winter, heating demand differed by less than 2% between reflective and green roofs.
- The researchers recommended reflective roofs as the more effective strategy for reducing both peak temperatures and overall energy consumption in warm climates.
So Ahmadi’s team sees reflective roofs as more effective overall, based on the data.
Compare their views about yearly/overall energy use
López says: green roofs lower annual energy use more effectively, because they insulate in winter.
Ahmadi’s data show:
- Reflective roofs save much more on cooling.
- The winter heating difference (insulation benefit) between green and reflective roofs is very small (<2%).
- Overall, reflective roofs are judged more effective for energy use.
So Ahmadi’s team would disagree with López’s conclusion that green roofs lower yearly energy consumption more than reflective roofs.
Match that comparison to the answer choices
We need the choice that:
- Shows disagreement with López’s claim that green roofs are better for annual energy savings, and
- Uses Ahmadi’s evidence: big cooling savings from reflective roofs vs. tiny winter insulation difference.
Choice D says that any insulation advantage of green roofs is outweighed by the greater reduction in cooling demand from reflective roofs. That exactly reflects Ahmadi’s findings and directly challenges López’s underlined claim, so D is correct.