9 original Command of Evidence: Textual questions, easiest first. Which quotation or finding would most strengthen — or weaken — a stated claim. Answer them all, then submit once to see every answer explained.
A veterinarian claims that providing shelter dogs with regular scent-based enrichment activities, such as hidden treats, reduces stress-related behaviors like excessive barking more than providing additional toys alone does.
Which finding would most directly support the veterinarian's claim?
D — In a shelter study, dogs given scent-based enrichment showed a greater reduction in excessive barking than dogs given an equal number of additional toys without scent elements.. This is a direct controlled comparison between scent-based enrichment and toy-only enrichment on barking reduction, exactly matching the claim; the other options don't isolate this specific comparison.
A psychologist claims that people are more likely to follow through on a New Year's resolution when they write it down and share it publicly than when they keep it private and unwritten.
Which finding would most directly support the psychologist's claim?
B — In a controlled study, participants who wrote down and publicly shared a resolution followed through at a significantly higher rate than participants who kept an identical resolution private.. This is a direct experimental comparison of the two conditions the psychologist's claim is about (public/written vs. private), with follow-through results supporting the claim; the other choices don't test this specific comparison.
A political scientist claims that endorsements from local, rather than national, celebrities are more effective at increasing voter turnout in local elections.
Which finding would most directly support the political scientist's claim?
D — An analysis of past local elections found that districts featuring endorsements from local celebrities saw higher turnout increases than districts featuring endorsements from national celebrities.. The claim specifically concerns comparative turnout effectiveness of local vs. national endorsements; a finding directly comparing turnout increases by endorsement type supports this. Recognition, spending, and follower counts don't address turnout effectiveness.
A food scientist claims that a newly developed low-sugar fruit spread is perceived by consumers as tasting sweeter than its actual sugar content would suggest, due to a naturally sweet-tasting fiber additive.
Which finding would most directly support the food scientist's claim?
C — In blind taste tests, participants rated the low-sugar spread as equally sweet to a full-sugar spread despite it containing 60% less sugar.. The claim is specifically about perceived sweetness relative to actual sugar content; a blind taste test showing equal perceived sweetness despite far less sugar directly measures this. Market share, consumer concern, and fiber content alone don't address perceived taste.
A public health official claims that a citywide campaign promoting handwashing significantly reduced the spread of seasonal colds among elementary school students.
Which finding would most directly support the official's claim?
D — Absentee records show that rates of cold-related absences dropped in schools that participated in the campaign, compared with schools that did not participate.. A comparison of cold-related absences between participating and non-participating schools directly tests the campaign's effect on cold spread, matching the claim precisely; the other choices don't measure actual health outcomes.
A labor economist argues that a recent increase in the minimum wage for tipped workers in a particular state did not lead to significant job losses in the restaurant industry, contrary to some predictions.
Which finding would most directly support the economist's argument?
D — Employment records show that restaurant employment levels in the state remained essentially unchanged in the year following the wage increase.. The claim is specifically about job losses in restaurants; stable employment levels in that specific industry after the increase directly supports the claim that no significant job losses occurred. The other options address different, less directly relevant measures.
A transportation planner claims that converting a portion of an underused rail corridor into a pedestrian and cycling trail would increase nearby home values without significantly increasing local traffic congestion.
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the planner's claim?
B — A similar rail-to-trail conversion in another region led to a 9% rise in nearby home values while local traffic congestion increased by less than 1%.. The planner's claim specifically concerns home value increases with minimal traffic impact; a comparable conversion directly measuring both outcomes most directly supports this specific claim. The other options are irrelevant to the proposed trail.
A public health official claims that a citywide campaign promoting sunscreen use significantly reduced sunburn-related clinic visits among outdoor construction workers specifically.
Which finding would most directly support the official's claim?
C — Clinic records show that sunburn-related visits among construction workers dropped in the city after the campaign, while such visits in a similar nearby city without the campaign stayed flat.. A comparison of sunburn-related visits among construction workers between the campaign city and a similar city without the campaign directly tests the campaign's specific effect, matching the claim precisely; the other choices don't measure actual health outcomes.
A political scientist claims that negative campaign advertisements, while often criticized, are actually more effective than positive ads at increasing voter turnout among a candidate's base.
Which finding would most directly support the political scientist's claim?
C — An analysis of past elections found that districts exposed primarily to negative ads saw higher turnout among the sponsoring candidate's registered base voters than districts exposed primarily to positive ads.. The claim specifically concerns turnout effectiveness among the base; a finding directly comparing turnout rates linked to ad type supports this. Voter dislike, spending trends, and social sharing don't address turnout effectiveness.
Score:
Every question above is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted, any wrong option you picked is flagged, and each explanation is open.
No. Every question here is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing specification for the Command of Evidence: Textual skill. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
Command of Evidence (Textual) describes a claim, hypothesis or argument and asks which quotation, finding or example would most directly support it, illustrate it, or weaken it. The passage sets up the claim; the choices are the candidate evidence.
Restate, in one sentence, exactly what has to be proven — including any qualifier like "in cities", "before 1900", "for adults only". Then test each choice against that sentence alone. Evidence that is true, interesting and about the right topic still fails if it does not bear on the specific claim, and "weaken" questions are lost almost entirely by candidates who answer them as "support" questions.
No, and deliberately so. This drill is 9 Command of Evidence: Textual questions back to back; a real Reading & Writing module is 27 questions in 32 minutes drawn from all eleven skills. Use a drill to fix one weakness, then take a full module to practice the real thing.
No. The SAT has no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank and a wrong guess both score zero — so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess.