SAT OwlQuestion bank / Cross-Text Connections
Text 1: Many music critics argue that streaming services narrow listeners' tastes over time. By constantly recommending songs similar to the ones a listener already likes, the critics say, these services steer people away from unfamiliar kinds of music.
Text 2: Media researcher Yuki Mori analyzed five years of listening histories from 100,000 streaming users. She found that the average user listened to a wider range of genres at the end of the period than at the start. Users who relied mostly on automated recommendations rather than searching for music themselves, however, showed little change in the range of genres they played.
Based on the texts, how would Mori most likely respond to the critics' argument in Text 1?
She would argue that streaming has broadened every user's tastes, no matter how the user listens.
She would agree that streaming users' tastes have narrowed over time.
She would claim that automated recommendations were the main reason that the average user began listening to more genres.
She would argue that her data show no narrowing, though relying on recommendations may limit how much tastes expand.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The critics claim streaming narrows tastes. Mori found the average user's range widened, which doesn't fit narrowing. But users who leaned on recommendations barely changed, which gives the critics' worry about recommendations some support. Choice D captures both findings.
Choice A ignores Mori's second finding: users who relied on recommendations showed little change.
Why the other choices are wrong
- A. Users who relied mostly on recommendations showed little change, so not every user's tastes broadened.
- B. The average user listened to more genres over time, so Mori's data don't show narrowing.
- C. Users who relied on recommendations changed little. The wider listening came from other users.
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