Domain: Craft and Structure | Skill: Cross-Text Connections | Difficulty: Medium

Cross-Text Connections – Medium Strategies & Practice

Welcome to your guide for mastering one of the trickiest parts of the SAT Reading section: Cross-Text Connections. These questions present you with two short, related texts and ask you to analyze their relationship. At the Medium difficulty level, the connection isn’t hidden, but it requires you to go beyond simply understanding each text in isolation. You need to think like a detective, figuring out how the authors’ ideas intersect, agree, disagree, or build upon one another. Nailing this skill is a huge step toward achieving your SAT goals.

Understanding the Question Stems

The first step is recognizing what kind of question you’re facing. Here’s a breakdown of common question stems for this skill.

Typical Stem	What It Really Asks	Quick Strategy
How would [Author of Text 2] most likely respond to [a claim in Text 1]?	Find the main idea of each text and determine if they agree, disagree, or if one expands on the other.	Summarize each author’s main point in one sentence before looking at the options.
How does Text 2 relate to the argument presented in Text 1?	Describe the overall relationship: Does Text 2 support, challenge, or qualify (add a condition to) Text 1?	Look for keywords like “however,” “in addition,” or “while acknowledging” to spot the relationship quickly.
Based on the texts, how would the two authors characterize…?	Compare their perspectives on a specific topic mentioned in both texts.	Isolate the sentences in each text that discuss the specific topic and compare them directly.

Real SAT-Style Example

Let’s look at a typical Medium-difficulty question. Read the two texts and the question that follows.

Text 1

In his study of urban parks, researcher David Miller argues that adding more green spaces to cities primarily benefits public health. His research shows that residents living within walking distance of parks exercise more frequently than those who don’t. Miller concludes that increasing the number of urban parks would lead to improved physical health outcomes across city populations.

Text 2

Urban planner Sarah Wong’s analysis of city parks reveals multiple benefits beyond health improvements. While acknowledging that parks encourage physical activity, Wong emphasizes their role in reducing urban heat and air pollution. Her data indicates that neighborhoods with more park space consistently show lower summer temperatures and better air quality than areas with limited green space.

Question: How would Wong (Text 2) most likely respond to Miller’s focus on health benefits in Text 1?

• A) By arguing that Miller’s research on health benefits is incorrect.
• B) By agreeing that health benefits exist while pointing out additional important advantages of urban parks. ✅
• C) By suggesting that environmental benefits are more important than health benefits.
• D) By recommending that cities focus on creating smaller parks in more locations.

Correct Answer Explanation: The correct answer is B. Wong explicitly states she is “acknowledging that parks encourage physical activity,” which aligns with Miller’s point. However, she then goes on to “emphasize” other benefits, like reduced heat and pollution. This means she agrees with Miller but believes his view is incomplete. She doesn’t invalidate his research (A), claim superiority for her points (C), or discuss park size (D).

Your 4-Step Strategy for Medium Questions

Follow this systematic approach to confidently solve these questions.

1. Summarize Text 1’s Core Idea: Read Text 1 and boil it down to a single sentence. What is the author’s main claim or finding? Underline it if you can.
2. Define Text 2’s Relationship to Text 1: Read Text 2 with Text 1 in mind. Does it agree, disagree, add a condition, or introduce a new perspective? Look for transition words.
3. Predict the Answer: Based on the relationship you just identified, formulate your own answer to the question before you read the choices. For example: “Wong would agree with Miller’s point but add that he’s missing the environmental side.”
4. Match and Eliminate: Compare your prediction to the answer choices. Select the one that matches best. Carefully eliminate the other three, noting why each is wrong (e.g., too extreme, out of scope, misinterprets a text).

Applying the Strategy to Our Example

Let’s see how our 4-step plan dismantles the example question.

Step 1: Summarize Text 1’s Core Idea

Text 1 states that urban parks “primarily benefit public health” because they lead to more exercise. Miller’s focus is narrow and specific: parks = better physical health.

Step 2: Define Text 2’s Relationship to Text 1

Text 2 begins by “acknowledging that parks encourage physical activity.” This is a direct signal of agreement with Miller’s core idea. But then, it introduces a new dimension: Wong “emphasizes their role in reducing urban heat and air pollution.” So, Text 2 agrees with and then expands upon Text 1’s claim.

Step 3: Predict the Answer

My prediction would be: “Wong would say Miller is right about the health benefits, but that’s not the whole story. There are also major environmental benefits to consider.”

Step 4: Match and Eliminate

• A) By arguing that Miller’s research… is incorrect. Incorrect. Wong acknowledges his point, she doesn’t argue against it.
• B) By agreeing that health benefits exist while pointing out additional important advantages… This perfectly matches my prediction. She agrees and then adds more information. This is the one.
• C) By suggesting that environmental benefits are more important… This is a trap! Wong emphasizes them, but she never says they are more important. That’s an extreme interpretation.
• D) By recommending that cities focus on creating smaller parks… This is out of scope. Neither text discusses the size or distribution of parks.

By following the steps, we can confidently select choice B.

Ready to Try It on Real Questions?

Theory is great, but targeted practice is what builds confidence. With mytestprep.ai, you can drill this specific skill until it becomes second nature.

1. Log in to your dashboard: Go to mytestprep.ai.
2. Navigate to the skill: From the dashboard, choose Craft and Structure → Cross‑Text Connections → Medium.
3. Choose your mode: Practice in Tutor Mode to get instant feedback on every question, or switch to Timed Mode to simulate real test conditions.

Our Co-Pilot AI tutor is always there to help. If you’re stuck, it can provide hints and detailed explanations that feel like having a real tutor by your side.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t just read—synthesize. The goal is to understand how the two texts talk to each other.
• Summarize first. Before you even look at the question, get the main idea of each text straight in your head.
• Predict your answer. Formulating an answer in your own words helps you avoid falling for tempting but incorrect answer choices.
• Watch out for extreme words. Answer choices with words like “always,” “never,” “prove,” or “disprove” are often too strong to be correct. Wong emphasizes, but she doesn’t claim environmental benefits are “more important.”