SAT Reading & Writing: Paired Passages: Areas of Disagreement
35+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
A question asking what two authors disagree about requires finding the central point of conflict.
- 2
Formulate each author's main thesis. The point of disagreement is usually the collision between these two central ideas.
- 3
Be exact: do they disagree on whether an event occurred, or do they agree it occurred but disagree on WHY it occurred?
- 4
Check the answer by asking: "Would Author 1 say YES? Would Author 2 say NO?" If you can't answer definitively for both, it's the wrong choice.
- ✗ Choosing a difference in topic (one talks about cats, one about dogs) rather than a direct disagreement over the same issue.
- ✗ Picking an extreme statement that overstates the disagreement.
SAT-style practice
Passage 1: Columbus's expedition opened vital trade routes that connected the globe. Passage 2: Columbus's voyage initiated an era of exploitation that ravaged indigenous populations. On what do the authors disagree?
Ready to master this concept?
Praczo tracks your mastery on all 179 SAT concepts — not just broad topics. One sample question is a start; drilling to mastery is how scores move.
3-day free trial — no credit card required