SAT Reading & Writing · Cross-Text Connections
**Text 1** Older observational studies tracking large populations found that people who drank moderate amounts of red wine had somewhat…
**Text 1**
Older observational studies tracking large populations found that people who drank moderate amounts of red wine had somewhat lower rates of coronary heart disease compared to non-drinkers, contributing to popular claims about wine's heart-healthy properties.
**Text 2**
More recent studies using Mendelian randomization, a method that uses genetic variation to help distinguish correlation from causation, have questioned whether moderate alcohol consumption actually provides a protective causal effect on heart health, while still confirming that heavy drinking is clearly harmful.
Based on the texts, which statement best describes an area of agreement between Text 1 and Text 2?
Older observational studies tracking large populations found that people who drank moderate amounts of red wine had somewhat lower rates of coronary heart disease compared to non-drinkers, contributing to popular claims about wine's heart-healthy properties.
**Text 2**
More recent studies using Mendelian randomization, a method that uses genetic variation to help distinguish correlation from causation, have questioned whether moderate alcohol consumption actually provides a protective causal effect on heart health, while still confirming that heavy drinking is clearly harmful.
Based on the texts, which statement best describes an area of agreement between Text 1 and Text 2?
Answer and explanation
Answer: A: Both texts agree that heavy alcohol consumption is harmful to cardiovascular health.
Text 2 explicitly states heavy drinking's harm is "clearly" maintained even as it questions the moderate-drinking benefit, and nothing in Text 1 disputes that heavy drinking is harmful either. A identifies this genuine overlap. B misstates Text 2, which specifically questions the protective claim instead of confirming it. C contradicts both texts, which each describe some relationship between alcohol and heart health. D invents a methodological critique that Text 2 doesn't make about its own method.
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