Question text-1
Text 1
Most scientists agree that the moon was likely formed after a collision between Earth and a large planet named Theia. This collision likely created a huge debris field, made up of material from both Earth and Theia. Based on models of this event, scientists believe that the moon was formed from this debris over the course of thousands of years.
Text 2
Researchers from NASA’s Ames Research Center used a computer to model how the moon could have formed. Although simulations of the moon’s formation have been done in the past, the team from NASA ran simulations that were much more detailed. They found that the formation of the moon was likely not a slow process that took many years. Instead, it’s probable that the moon’s formation happened immediately after impact, taking just a few hours.
Which choice best describes a difference in how the author of Text 1 and the author of Text 2 view the evidence for the formation of the moon?
The author of Text 1 claims that the moon’s surface is more similar to Earth’s surface than the author of Text 2 claims.
The author of Text 1 believes that the moon formed more slowly than the author of Text 2 believes.
The author of Text 1 argues that the formation of the moon occurred much earlier than the author of Text 2 argues.
The author of Text 1 suggests there is more evidence confirming the existence of Theia than the author of Text 2 suggests.
Text 1 Most scientists agree that the moon was likely formed after a collision between Earth
Easy-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Cross-Text Connections — Agree/disagree or support/challenge relationships. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice D is the best answer. Text 1 states that the moon was formed from the debris “over the course of thousands of years,” while Text 2 states that the moon’s formation happened “immediately after impact, taking just a few hours.” This shows a clear difference in how the authors view the evidence for the speed of the moon’s formation.
Choice A is incorrect. While Text 2 suggests that the moon formed over “just a few hours” and Text 1 says it took “thousands of years,” neither one mentions when that formation occurred. Choice B is incorrect. While Theia isn’t mentioned in Text 2, neither text describes or disputes evidence of Theia’s existence. Choice C is incorrect. Neither text makes any claims about the similarity or difference between the moon’s surface and Earth’s surface.
More Cross-Text Connections practice questions
- Text 1 On April 26th, 1777, Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles by horse through
- Text 1 Ecologists have long wondered how thousands of microscopic phytoplankton species
- Text 1 Conventional wisdom long held that human social systems evolved in stages,
- Text 1 Italian painters in the 1500s rarely depicted themselves in their work. Even
- Text 1 Despite its beautiful prose, The Guns of August , Barbara Tuchman’s 1962
- Text 1 Like the work of Ralph Ellison before her, Toni Morrison’s novels feature
- Text 1 Public policy researcher Anthony Fowler studied the history of elections in
- Text 1 Most animals can regenerate some parts of their bodies, such as skin.
Browse all Craft and Structure practice questions or return to the full SAT question bank.