SAT Command of Evidence - Textual

Command of Evidence (textual) asks which quotation or finding best supports a stated claim. The test is relevance to that claim, not relevance to the topic — a detail can be about the right subject and still support nothing.

Practise this skill freeHow the SAT is structured
Reading and WritingInformation and Ideas312 questions
The trap on this skill

Choosing a true-sounding detail that is about the topic but not about the claim.

How this skill behaves

What 312 questions on it look like

80% of these questions can appear in the harder second module. On a section-adaptive test that matters: this is a skill that keeps mattering after a strong first module, not one you leave behind.

Not one question in this skill is rated hard. What makes it cost marks is speed and carelessness, not difficulty.

With 312 questions in the bank, this is one of the most heavily represented skills on the test — time spent here is repaid across more questions than almost anywhere else.

medium80%
easy20%

Difficulty mix across the 312 questions in this skill.

From the bank

Three real command of evidence - textual questions

Each one explains the credited answer and why every other option fails.

Information and Ideas · medium

Which quotation would best support the researcher's claim?

  1. AField notes showed that observers classified pond insects from the evening group more quickly after revising the data form.
  2. BA comparison by field teams of pond insects from the evening group found that species richness increased in ponds with both shallow edges and deeper centers when the same measurement window was used for the green-version examples.correct
  3. CField teams reported that sites with more detailed notes also had more examples of pond insects from the evening group.
  4. DField teams found that examples grouped by location showed a wider range of values for water depth when the same measurement window was used for the green-version examples.
Why B is correct — and why the others are not

The finding directly supports the claim because it connects pond insects from the evening group to the evidence that species richness increased in ponds with both shallow edges and deeper centers when the same measurement window was used for the green-version examples. This matches the evidence or condition involving pond insects from the evening group. A final check is confirming that a claim is supported rather than just mentioned.

A. This concerns the observation process rather than evidence for the claim's explanation.

C. This may affect how much evidence was available, but it does not support the stated conclusion.

D. This describes variation in the factor, but the claim requires the factor's relationship to the result.

Information and Ideas · easy

Which quotation would best support the researcher's claim?

  1. AA later comparison linked vendor spacing when the earlier number was also considered for the lower-shelf examples to the speed of data collection for night markets from the high-use group.
  2. BResearchers found in the second count that wider aisles increased browsing time without reducing conversations when the earlier number was also considered for the lower-shelf examples.correct
  3. CResearchers reported that sites with more detailed notes also had more examples of night markets from the high-use group.
  4. DResearchers found that the largest sample of night markets from the high-use group came from the middle phase of the study.
Why B is correct — and why the others are not

The finding directly supports the claim because it connects night markets from the high-use group to the evidence that wider aisles increased browsing time without reducing conversations when the earlier number was also considered for the lower-shelf examples. The calculation or reading check points back to night markets from the high-use group. A final check is linking the note about method to the note about setting.

A. This connects the factor to data collection speed rather than to the claim's result.

C. This may affect how much evidence was available, but it does not support the stated conclusion.

D. This describes when observations were collected, not whether the claim is supported.

Information and Ideas · medium

Which choice most directly strengthens the claim?

  1. AA comparison showed that the language used to describe editing pace when the time window was extended for the paper-form cases stayed consistent across reports.
  2. BCritics found that the largest sample of documentary interviews from the later group came from the middle phase of the study.
  3. CThe change log showed that longer pauses made interviewees' uncertainty more visible when the time window was extended for the paper-form cases.correct
  4. DCritics observed that the earliest examples of documentary interviews from the later group had unusually complete records.
Why C is correct — and why the others are not

The finding directly supports the claim because it connects documentary interviews from the later group to the evidence that longer pauses made interviewees' uncertainty more visible when the time window was extended for the paper-form cases. The final step answers the prompt as it applies to documentary interviews from the later group. A final check is checking whether the final sentence narrows the claim.

A. Consistent wording does not provide evidence for the relationship claimed.

B. This describes when observations were collected, not whether the claim is supported.

D. This concerns record quality, which does not establish the relationship stated in the claim.

312 questions on this skill, free to start.

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FAQ

Command of Evidence - Textual questions

How do I pick the right evidence?

Restate the claim in your own words first, then ask of each choice: does this make that specific claim more likely? Topic overlap is not support.

What is the most common mistake?

Choosing a true, on-topic detail that does not bear on the claim being supported.
Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Format and scoring facts sourced to College Board. Question counts describe the PrepScore bank, not the exam.
Same domain
Central Ideas and Details312 questionsCommand of Evidence - Quantitative156 questionsInferences156 questions

Practise command of evidence - textual until the trap stops working.

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