SAT Reading & Writing · Cross-Text Connections
A student claims that antibiotics have now completely replaced surgery as the treatment for all cases of appendicitis. Which finding from…
Text 1
Surgeons have traditionally treated appendicitis with prompt appendectomy, viewing surgical removal of the inflamed appendix as the definitive and standard treatment for the condition.
Text 2
Randomized trials involving carefully selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis found that antibiotic treatment allowed many patients to avoid immediate surgery entirely, although some of these patients later experienced a recurrence requiring surgery after all.
A student claims that antibiotics have now completely replaced surgery as the treatment for all cases of appendicitis. Which finding from Text 2 would most directly challenge the student's claim?
Surgeons have traditionally treated appendicitis with prompt appendectomy, viewing surgical removal of the inflamed appendix as the definitive and standard treatment for the condition.
Text 2
Randomized trials involving carefully selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis found that antibiotic treatment allowed many patients to avoid immediate surgery entirely, although some of these patients later experienced a recurrence requiring surgery after all.
A student claims that antibiotics have now completely replaced surgery as the treatment for all cases of appendicitis. Which finding from Text 2 would most directly challenge the student's claim?
Answer and explanation
Answer: A: The trials focused specifically on carefully selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis, not all appendicitis patients broadly.
The student's claim is sweeping, "all cases," but Text 2 explicitly limits its finding to "carefully selected patients with uncomplicated appendicitis," which directly challenges the idea that this finding generalizes to every appendicitis case. B actually supports part of the student's enthusiasm instead of challenging the "all cases" overreach. C and D are neutral background facts about the study and condition that don't address scope.
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