Reading & Writing

Cross-Text Connections

2 min readMedium5-question drill

Cross-Text Connections questions give you TWO short passages and ask how they relate — agree, disagree, build on each other. They look intimidating, but they're really just a reading-comprehension puzzle with a predictable structure.

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Cross-Text Connections questions are the only Reading & Writing questions that hand you two passages (Text 1 and Text 2) instead of one. Both texts discuss the same topic — usually a debate, a claim and a counter-claim, or two different angles on one subject. Your job is to figure out the relationship between them.

The two texts almost always have different authors with different positions. One might propose a theory; the other complicates it. One might make a broad claim; the other points out an exception. They rarely flat-out agree on everything — and they rarely have nothing in common.

The question will ask one of a few predictable things:

How would Author 2 respond to Author 1? (Find Author 2's view, apply it to Author 1's specific claim.)
What's a difference in how the authors approach the topic?
What would the authors agree on?
What does Author 2 add, qualify, or challenge?

Here's the reliable method:

Read Text 1 and summarize its main claim in your own words — one sentence. What does this author believe?
Read Text 2 and do the same. What does this author believe?
Name the relationship. Agreement? Disagreement? Does Text 2 add a nuance, propose a different cause, or note an exception? Write it down before looking at choices.
Pre-answer the actual question using your two summaries.
Match to a choice. The right answer must be true to BOTH texts.

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Does the question ask what the authors agree on?

Yes ↓

→ Find the shared topic or premise both accept

No ↓

→ Find the specific claim where their views split

Let the question type steer where you look in the texts.

The key skill is separating each author's actual stated view from what they merely mention. If Author 1 cites a study but Author 2 never addresses studies, you can't claim they disagree about studies.

Relationship types between two texts

Relationship	What it looks like	Example signal
Agreement	Both accept a shared premise	Both agree reefs are declining
Disagreement	Opposing claims on one point	Different primary cause
Qualification	Author 2 adds nuance/exception	True, but only for some cases
Different emphasis	Same facts, different focus	Technology vs. culture

Name the relationship before checking the answer choices.

Watch the difference between "agree" and "disagree" questions. Agreement questions usually point to the shared topic or shared premise (e.g., "reefs are declining") even when authors disagree about the cause. Disagreement questions point to the specific claim where their views split. Knowing which kind you're answering tells you exactly where to look.

Quick check

Check your understanding with a question from this topic:

Text 1: Economist A argues that raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour would significantly reduce poverty among low-income workers without causing substantial job losses, citing studies from cities that have already implemented such increases.

Text 2: Economist B contends that while modest minimum wage increases can benefit workers, a $15 federal minimum would disproportionately affect small businesses in low-cost-of-living areas, potentially leading to reduced hours and slower hiring.

Based on the texts, how would Economist B most likely respond to Economist A's position?

By agreeing that a $15 minimum wage benefits all workers and businesses regardless of region

By claiming that no minimum wage increase is ever economically justified under any circumstances

By arguing that the effects depend on local economic conditions, not just national averages

By suggesting that reducing poverty among low-income workers is not a valid economic goal at all

Worked examples

Example 1

Text 1: Historian Adams argues that the printing press was the single most important driver of literacy in early modern Europe, making books cheap enough for ordinary households to own.

Text 2: Historian Reyes acknowledges the printing press lowered book prices but argues that literacy rose mainly because Protestant reforms encouraged individuals to read scripture themselves, creating demand for those cheaper books.

Which choice best describes a difference in how the two historians explain rising literacy?

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Example 2

Text 1: Researcher Park claims that remote work boosts overall productivity, citing company data showing employees complete more tasks per week when working from home.

Text 2: Researcher Liu argues that productivity gains from remote work depend heavily on the type of job: independent, task-based roles benefit, but collaborative roles that rely on spontaneous communication often suffer.

Based on the texts, how would Researcher Liu most likely respond to Park's claim?

Common pitfalls

Confusing 'mentioned' with 'argued'

An author who briefly mentions a factor isn't necessarily making a claim about it. Don't build agreement or disagreement on details only one text addresses — the relationship must be supported by what BOTH authors actually assert.

Picking the most extreme response

Tempting answers say one author would 'completely reject' or 'entirely dismiss' the other. Usually the disagreement is partial — a qualification or a different emphasis. Prefer the moderate, textually supported choice.

Swapping the two authors' positions

Wrong choices often state a true idea but attach it to the wrong author. Always check WHO holds each view, not just whether the idea appears in the passages.

Answering before deciding agree vs. disagree

An 'agree' question and a 'difference' question point you to opposite parts of the texts. Identify which one you're answering first, then look for shared ground (agree) or the split point (difference).

Key takeaways

Always summarize each text's main claim in one sentence before reading the choices.
The right answer must be consistent with BOTH texts, not just one.
Most disagreements are partial — different cause, different emphasis, or a noted exception — not total rejection.
Check that each choice attaches the correct view to the correct author.
'Agree' questions usually point to a shared topic or premise; 'difference' questions point to where the authors split.

Watch & learn

Curated Khan Academy walkthroughs on Cross-Text Connections. They're complementary to this lesson — watch one if a written explanation isn't clicking, or after to reinforce.

Tracks your progress across lessons.

Try it yourself

5 practice questions on Cross-Text Connections, drawn from the question bank. The tutor is one click away if you get stuck.

Where this lesson fits

Cross-Text Connections

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→Central Ideas and Details →Inferences →Text Structure and Purpose