SAT OwlQuestion bank / Cross-Text Connections
Text 1: Some linguists argue that emoji are weakening written language. Because a single image can stand in for a phrase or a feeling, they say, people who rely on emoji lose the habit of expressing themselves precisely in words.
Text 2: After studying thousands of text messages, linguist Simone Achterberg found that emoji most often accompany words rather than replace them. They usually do the work that tone of voice and facial expression do in speech, signaling whether a message is a joke, a complaint, or a sincere compliment.
Based on the texts, how would Achterberg most likely respond to the linguists' argument in Text 1?
By agreeing that emoji have replaced words in most text messages
By claiming that facial expressions are unimportant in spoken conversation
By suggesting that people should use emoji only in formal writing
By arguing that emoji usually add tone to written words rather than substituting for them
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Text 1's concern rests on the idea that emoji replace words. Achterberg found that emoji mostly appear alongside words and signal tone, much as facial expressions do in speech. She would answer that emoji supplement words rather than replace them, choice D.
Choice A states the assumption Achterberg's findings contradict.
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