Thanks for the question! So we’re looking for something that both of the authors would disagree about; in other words, one of the author has to agree with the statement, and the other author has to disagree. This is basically a Point at Issue question in the logical reasoning section, but in the reading comprehension section. And on reading these passages, you should be able to identify a major point at issue: passage A thinks that purple loosestrife is really bad, whereas passage B thinks that the cons of purple loosestrife are overblown. And so the correct answer choice is likely going to have to have something to do with that.
Now let’s take a look at (B), which tells us that the threat posed by purple loosestrife to local aquatic furbearer populations is serious. Well, what does passage A think about this? Passage A would agree with this statement; take a look at lines 10-12, where we’re told that serious reductions in waterfowl and aquatic furbearer productivity have been observed. What does passage B think about this? Passage B would disagree with this statement; take a look at lines 55-58, where we’re told that even though there might be an impact on furbearing mammals (which include aquatic furbearing mammals), those animals can’t be considered threatened in North America, so it’s not a big deal. Passage A agrees, and passage B disagrees, so this is the answer choice that we’re going to want.
Notice that (D) and (E) aren’t really mentioned in either passage, so those can’t be what’s at issue. Passage A would agree with (A), but passage B wouldn’t necessarily disagree (we don’t know), so it’s wrong. And passage B agrees with (C), but we don’t know what passage A thinks about most people, so it’s wrong as well.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions that you might have.
