On the test
Usually questions 8 to 14 of each Reading and Writing module (27 questions per module, 2 modules). The module order is Craft and Structure, then Information and Ideas, then Standard English Conventions, then Expression of Ideas.
12 to 14 questions in the whole test (about 6 or 7 in each module). Usually questions 8 to 14 of each module.
How I approached it
A small story from Aime
When a friend tells me, "Kigali buses are always late," I do not just agree. I wait for proof. If he says, "Last week I waited forty minutes on three different days," now I believe him a little. That is evidence. But proof must fit the claim. If he says always late and shows me only one late bus, the proof is too small. If he talks about a wedding he attended, it is the wrong topic. A good proof matches what is claimed. Command of Evidence on the SAT asks me to do the same thing. I read the claim first, then I test every option against it, just as I test my friend's words, and I choose the proof that fits best.
This skill feels hard at first because all four options look good. Once you test each one against the claim, one of them will stand clearly above the others.
What is inside this part
You choose the quotation, finding or fact in words that best supports a claim or hypothesis.
support a hypothesis · support a critic's claim about a story or poem · find the finding that weakens or strengthens a claim
You use a table or graph to choose the statement that best supports a claim, and you must read and compare the numbers.
reading tables and graphs · growth and difference · share versus count
How to know a question is from this part
A claim followed by options that are evidence, either as words or as a description of numbers in a table or graph.
- The question says: which choice best supports the claim
- The question says: which finding, if true, would most directly support the hypothesis
- The question says: which choice most effectively uses data from the table or graph to complete the statement
- There is a small table or graph in the question, or a student claim
- Options are quotations or findings, not definitions or word choices
The lesson
1. What this skill is
Command of Evidence questions give you a claim, which is a statement someone wants you to believe. Your job is to pick the evidence that best supports it. Evidence means the proof: a quotation, a finding, or numbers from a table or graph.
There are two kinds. In Textual evidence, the options are quotes, findings or facts in words. In Quantitative evidence, the question includes a small table or graph, and the options describe the data.
2. What the question is really asking
The question often says: Which choice best supports the claim? or Which finding, if true, would most directly support the hypothesis? A hypothesis is an idea that has not been proven yet.
You are not checking if an option is true. You are checking if it proves THIS claim. An option can be true and still useless if it is about something else.
3. Words you need to know
Claim: the statement that needs proof.
Evidence: the proof for the claim.
Support: to make the claim more believable.
Weaken: to make the claim less believable. Some questions ask for the option that weakens a claim, so read the question carefully.
Table or graph: a way to show data in rows and columns or in bars and lines. Always read the title, the labels and the units first.
4. The method for textual evidence
Step 1. Read the claim and underline its key parts: who or what is being talked about, and what is said about it.
Step 2. Say in your own words what proof would look like.
Step 3. Test each option: does it talk about the same thing, and does it show the same direction?
Step 4. Cross out options that are about a related topic but do not match, and options that are true but off target.
Step 5. Pick the option that matches the claim most directly.
5. The method for quantitative evidence
Step 1. Read the title and the labels of the table or graph. What is being counted, and in what units?
Step 2. Read the claim. What exactly must the numbers show: the biggest, a growth, a comparison, a share?
Step 3. Find those numbers and do the small calculation, such as a difference or a percent.
Step 4. Check every option against the numbers. A wrong option often uses real numbers but says something different from the claim.
Step 5. Watch for count versus share. A school with more students can have more yes-answers and still have a smaller percent.
6. Worked example 1: textual
Here the claim is about a cause. The best proof shows the cause and the effect together.
A student claims that a new well improved school attendance in a village. A. After the well opened, children no longer walked two hours for water, and attendance rose from 70 percent to 90 percent. B. The well was dug by volunteers from the village. C. The well is very deep. D. Villagers like to meet at the well.
Show the steps
- The claim has two parts: the well and better attendance.
- Only A talks about attendance getting better.
- B, C and D are about the well but never about attendance.
A
7. Worked example 2: quantitative
Read the table like a small story: what is counted, and what do the numbers say?
Maize sold at a market (kilograms) Monday | 30 Tuesday | 45 Wednesday | 60 A student claims that sales grew by the same amount each day. A. Sales rose by 15 kilograms from Monday to Tuesday and by 15 from Tuesday to Wednesday. B. Sales doubled from Monday to Wednesday. C. Wednesday had the highest sales. D. Tuesday sales were 45 kilograms.
Show the steps
- The claim is about equal growth each day.
- Differences: 45 - 30 = 15 and 60 - 45 = 15.
- B and C are true but do not show equal steps. D just reads one number.
- A shows both steps.
A
8. Worked example 3: a quotation
With quotes from a story or poem, match the feeling and the direction of change in the claim.
A critic claims that the narrator of a story grows more confident as the story goes on. A. "At first I whispered my answers, afraid the teacher would hear a mistake." B. "By the final week I raised my hand before the question was even finished." C. "My friends said I had always been a quiet child." D. "I remembered the day I forgot my lines."
Show the steps
- The claim is about growing confidence, so I need a later moment with more courage.
- A shows the starting point, not growth.
- C and D look backward and show shyness or failure.
- B shows a later, braver action.
B
9. Common traps
Trap 1: True but off target. The option is correct but does not prove the claim.
Trap 2: Right topic, wrong direction. For example, the claim says increase and the option shows a decrease.
Trap 3: Count versus share. Compare percents when the claim is about proportion.
Trap 4: Too small or too general. One number may not prove a claim about every year, and a general statement may not prove a particular claim.
Trap 5: Reading the wrong row or column. Put your finger on the exact row and column before you decide.
See it
- 1Read the claim and underline its key parts
- 2Say what proof would look like
- 3Read the table title, labels and units if there is data
- 4Test each option against the claim, not against the truth
- 5Choose the option that matches directly
| Clue | Textual | Quantitative |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | Quotes or findings in words | A small table or graph plus options about the numbers |
| Main work | Match meaning and direction | Read numbers, compare, calculate |
| Common trap | True but off target | Count versus share |
| Typical question | Which finding would support the claim? | Which choice uses data from the table to support the claim? |
- Look for proof that agrees with the claim
- The data points in the same direction
- Look for proof that disagrees or gives another explanation
- Read the question twice so you do not reverse it
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