How to answer it
- Find the exact claim in the question and break it into its parts.
- Predict what evidence would prove every part.
- Choose the option that shows all of it, not one that is only on topic.
Worked example
An original question in the SAT format, already answered.
SAT Reading and WritingWorked example
A student claims that in a poem about a farm in January, the poet uses images of winter to show the speaker’s loneliness.
Which quotation from the poem most effectively illustrates the claim?
- A“The orchard waits for spring’s return.”
- B“The snow falls softly on the village roofs.”
- C“My brother laughs beside the kitchen fire.”
- D“I cross the frozen field with no one near.”
Answer: D. D pairs a winter image, the frozen field, with being alone. B has winter but no loneliness, C shows company, and A looks ahead to spring.
The most common trap
Choices that match half the claim. If the claim has two parts, the evidence needs both.
Practice it
Hourly Prep’s daily sets mix command of evidence: textual with the rest of SAT Reading and Writing, and send more of it your way when it’s a weak spot. See how the SAT prep plan works, or browse the other SAT skill guides.