SAT Reading and Writing skill page

SAT Cross-Text Connections Practice

State each text's main claim separately, then describe the exact relationship between them.

Practice cross-text connections in Dolphin SAT Practice questions

12-18 min practice time3 questions on pageCraft and Structure

Practice time12-18 min

Question bank3 questions

Best forCraft and Structure

What this tests

What to know for this SAT skill

Summarize each text before comparing them
Identify agreement, disagreement, and qualification
Predict how one author would respond to the other
Avoid answer choices that misstate either text

Dolphin question bank

Practice your skill

Question 1 of 3Hard

In a 2016 study, Eastern Washington University psychologist Amani El-Alayli found that, among the study participants who experienced frisson (a physiological response akin to goosebumps or getting the chills) while listening to music, there was one personality trait that they scored particularly openness to experience.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

high. On
high on;
high on
high on:

Show answer and solution

Correct answerD. high on:

Solution walkthrough

Choice D is the best answer.
The convention being tested is punctuation use between a main clause and a supplementary phrase.
In this choice, a colon is correctly used to mark the boundary between the main clause ("there...on") and the supplementary phrase ("openness to experience") and to introduce the information that identifies which personality trait participants scored especially high on. Choice A is incorrect because it results in a rhetorically unacceptable sentence fragment beginning with "on" and separates a necessary preposition from the clause beginning with "there. "

Why the other choices miss

Choice B is incorrect because a semicolon can’t be used in this way to join the main clause ("there...on") and the supplementary phrase ("openness to experience"). A semicolon is conventionally used to join two main clauses, whereas a colon is conventionally used to introduce an element that explains or amplifies the information in the preceding clause, making the colon the better choice in this context. Choice C is incorrect because it fails to mark the boundary between the main clause ("there...on") and the supplementary phrase ("openness to experience").

Question 2 of 3Hard

In Marisol’s 1968 sculpture Mi Mama y Yo, gone are the types of pop culture references that made the Parisian-born Venezuelan American artist a star at the height of the pop art movement. In place is a far more personal subject: a sculptural depiction of the artist as a young girl with her mother.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

its
they're
their
it's

Show answer and solution

Correct answerC. their

Solution walkthrough

Choice C is the best answer.
The convention being tested is the use of possessive determiners.
The plural possessive determiner "their" agrees in number with the plural noun "types" and thus indicates that the more personal subject matter of Marisol’s 1968 sculpture takes the place of those types of pop culture references that made Marisol a star. Choice A is incorrect because the singular possessive determiner "its" doesn’t agree in number with the plural noun "types. "

Why the other choices miss

Choice B is incorrect because "they’re" is the contraction for "they are," not a possessive determiner. Choice D is incorrect because "it’s" is the contraction for "it is" or "it has," not a possessive determiner.

Question 3 of 3Medium

In Death Valley National Park’s Racetrack Playa, a flat, dry lakebed, are 162 rocks—some weighing less than a pound but others almost 700 pounds—that move periodically from place to place, seemingly of their own volition. Racetrack-like trails in the mysterious migration.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

playas sediment mark the rock's
playa's sediment mark the rocks
playa's sediment mark the rocks'
playas' sediment mark the rocks'

Show answer and solution

Correct answerC. playa's sediment mark the rocks'

Solution walkthrough

Choice C is the best answer.
The convention being tested is the use of plural and possessive nouns.
The singular possessive noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun “rocks’” correctly indicate that the sediment is that of one playa (the Racetrack Playa) and that there are multiple rocks that have mysteriously migrated across the sediment.

Why the other choices miss

Choice A is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “playa’s” and the plural possessive noun “rocks’,” not the plural noun “playas” and the singular possessive noun “rock’s.” Choice B is incorrect because the context requires the plural possessive noun “rocks’,” not the plural noun “rocks.” Choice D is incorrect because the context requires the singular possessive noun “playa’s,” not the plural possessive noun “playas’.”

Avoid these traps

Common mistakes on this skill

Comparing details before identifying claims

Write a short summary of each author's main position before evaluating their relationship.

Treating qualification as total disagreement

An author can agree with a general idea while limiting when or how strongly it applies.

Choosing an answer that fits only one text

The correct answer must describe both texts and the relationship between them accurately.

Study plan

How to practice this skill in Dolphin

Summarize Text 1 in one short sentence.
Summarize Text 2 independently in one short sentence.
Name the relationship: support, disagree, qualify, or apply.
Eliminate choices that exaggerate or misstate either author.

Practice cross-text connections in Dolphin SAT

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FAQ

Questions about SAT Cross-Text Connections Practice

What are Cross-Text Connections questions?

They ask how the claims, evidence, or perspectives in two short related texts connect.

Should I read both texts before the question?

Yes. Give each text a brief independent summary, then use the question to focus the comparison.

What does it mean when one text qualifies another?

It means the second text adds a limit, condition, or exception rather than completely agreeing or disagreeing.