SAT OwlQuestion bank / Cross-Text Connections
Text 1: Many economists argue that rent control, which limits how much landlords can raise rents, reduces the supply of housing. When landlords cannot charge market rates, they say, some convert apartments into condominiums or stop maintaining their buildings, leaving fewer rental units available.
Text 2: Supporters of rent control acknowledge that it can discourage some landlords, but they argue that the policy's main goal is different: keeping long-term residents from being forced out of their neighborhoods by sudden rent increases. A study in San Francisco found that tenants in rent-controlled units were much more likely to remain at the same address years later.
Based on the texts, how would the supporters in Text 2 most likely respond to the economists' argument in Text 1?
By denying that rent control has any effect on landlords' decisions
By arguing that rent control increases the number of rental units
By conceding that rent control may reduce housing supply while arguing that it achieves a different, important goal
By claiming that tenants in rent-controlled units move more often than other tenants do
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The supporters "acknowledge that it can discourage some landlords," which concedes part of the economists' point. They then argue that rent control's real purpose is keeping residents in place and cite evidence that it does. Choice C reflects this concession plus a different goal.
Choice A contradicts Text 2, where the supporters admit rent control can discourage some landlords.
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