SAT Reading & Writing · Cross-Text Connections
A doctor assumes that any structural abnormality found on a back pain patient's MRI must be the cause of that patient's pain. Which text…
**Text 1**
Radiologists note that MRI scans of patients experiencing back pain frequently reveal structural abnormalities such as disc bulges or minor spinal irregularities.
**Text 2**
Researchers studying imaging in people without any back pain symptoms have found that similar structural abnormalities appear commonly in this pain-free population as well, and clinical guidelines increasingly caution that early routine imaging often does not improve treatment outcomes for typical back pain.
A doctor assumes that any structural abnormality found on a back pain patient's MRI must be the cause of that patient's pain. Which text would most directly challenge this assumption?
Radiologists note that MRI scans of patients experiencing back pain frequently reveal structural abnormalities such as disc bulges or minor spinal irregularities.
**Text 2**
Researchers studying imaging in people without any back pain symptoms have found that similar structural abnormalities appear commonly in this pain-free population as well, and clinical guidelines increasingly caution that early routine imaging often does not improve treatment outcomes for typical back pain.
A doctor assumes that any structural abnormality found on a back pain patient's MRI must be the cause of that patient's pain. Which text would most directly challenge this assumption?
Answer and explanation
Answer: D: Text 2
Text 2 directly challenges the doctor's assumption by showing the same abnormalities show up frequently in people who have no pain at all, meaning an abnormality's mere presence doesn't establish it as the pain's cause. Text 1 simply reports that abnormalities are common in patients with pain, which is consistent with the doctor's assumption instead of a challenge to it.
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