SAT OwlQuestion bank / Cross-Text Connections
Text 1: Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, is widely remembered as a very short man. His supposed height is so well known that the term "Napoleon complex" is used to describe short people who are thought to act aggressively to make up for their size.
Text 2: Records made at Napoleon's death list his height as five feet two inches, but these were French units, which were longer than British ones. In British measurements, he stood about five feet seven inches, at or slightly above average for a Frenchman of his time. His reputation for shortness owes much to British cartoonists, who mocked him by drawing him as a tiny, angry figure.
Based on the texts, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the view of Napoleon described in Text 1?
By explaining that the view comes partly from confusion about units of measurement and partly from mocking cartoons
By agreeing that Napoleon was much shorter than most men of his time
By arguing that historians have exaggerated how aggressively Napoleon behaved
By claiming that Napoleon's supporters invented the term "Napoleon complex"
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
Text 1 presents the popular view that Napoleon was very short. Text 2 explains that his recorded height was in larger French units and that British cartoonists drew him as tiny. The author would trace the view to these two sources, choice A.
Choice C shifts the topic: Text 2 corrects the idea about Napoleon's height and says nothing about whether his behavior has been exaggerated.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. This choice contradicts Text 2, which states that Napoleon was at or slightly above average height for a Frenchman of his time, not much shorter.
- C. Text 2 focuses on correcting the misconception about Napoleon's height and does not address whether his aggressive behavior was exaggerated by historians.
- D. The texts do not mention who invented the term "Napoleon complex," so this claim is not supported by the provided information.
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