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Set 2: Cross-Text Connections

Explanation

Answer: A

PASSAGE

Text 1 The collapse of the Soviet Union is often attributed to the economic stagnation caused by central planning. Without market signals, the state could not efficiently allocate resources. Text 2 Political factors were equally critical. Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring) inadvertently weakened the party's control, allowing long-suppressed nationalist movements to dismantle the empire from within.

Which choice best synthesizes the causes of the collapse?

A. It was a multicausal event driven by both economic inefficiency and political liberalization.✓ Correct
B. It was solely economic.
C. It was caused by external invasion.
D. Gorbachev wanted to destroy the Union.

Detailed Explanation

Text 1: Economic stagnation. Text 2: Political/Glasnost (Equally critical). Synthesis: Economic + Political.

Key Evidence:

• "economic stagnation"

• "Political factors were equally critical"

Why others are wrong: B (Text 2 adds political.), C (From within.), D (Inadvertently.).

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