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Reading and Writing: Information and Ideas, 3 original questions

SAT Command of Evidence Practice: Questions and Answers

Practice SAT evidence questions with original text and data examples. Match evidence to a claim, check comparisons and explain all answer choices.

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The short answer

Command of evidence questions require a precise match between a claim and the information that supports it. First identify what the claim asserts, including a comparison, condition or degree of certainty. Then ask which quotation, observation or data point directly establishes that assertion. Relevant information is not necessarily supporting evidence. For a table, check the requested quantities rather than choosing the largest number. These original examples connect stated preferences, numerical changes and a described revision to the specific claims they support.

Method at a glance

  1. 1Break down the claim
  2. 2Find direct support
  3. 3Check the quantities
  4. 4Keep the conclusion limited

Try the 3 questionsRead the full method

Step-by-step method

Use these steps in order, then apply them to the questions below.

  1. Step 1: Break down the claim

    Identify the subject and what must be established. A claim about preference needs evidence of preference, not merely attendance.

  2. Step 2: Find direct support

    Look for the sentence or data comparison that addresses the claim itself. Eliminate facts that are only about the same topic.

  3. Step 3: Check the quantities

    When data appear, identify the rows, units and comparison requested. Distinguish an increase from a final total and a percentage from a count.

  4. Step 4: Keep the conclusion limited

    Choose evidence that supports the claim without assuming motives, causation or a broader population not represented by the information.

Try 3 SAT-style questions

These are original SAT-style questions written by PeakSAT, not official College Board questions. Choose an answer and check it to see why each choice is right or wrong, or open the worked answer.

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Question 1 of 3

Original evidence task

A fictional neighborhood association claims that most of the 80 residents who answered its survey prefer a weekly market to a monthly market.

Which finding most directly supports that claim?

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View worked answer for question 1

Correct answer

Choice C: Of the 80 survey respondents, 57 selected weekly and 23 selected monthly.

Explanation

The claim is about the preferences of the 80 respondents. The finding that 57 of them selected weekly directly addresses that preference, and 57 is more than half of 80. Organization history, attendance and location do not measure which schedule those respondents prefer. The evidence supports this surveyed group, not every neighborhood resident.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  1. Choice A

    Organizing history says nothing about respondents’ preferred frequency.

  2. Choice B

    Attendance does not establish the survey respondents’ weekly-versus-monthly preference.

  3. Choice C

    Correct answer

    This directly measures the relevant preference and shows a majority choosing weekly.

  4. Choice D

    A shared location does not establish which schedule respondents prefer.

Question 2 of 3

Original data task

Recorded visits to two fictional library branches: East branch: 120 visits in June; 140 visits in July. West branch: 80 visits in June; 95 visits in July.

A writer claims that East had the larger numerical increase in visits from June to July. Which comparison supports the claim?

Choose an answer for question 2
View worked answer for question 2

Correct answer

Choice A: East increased by 20 visits, while West increased by 15 visits.

Explanation

Numerical increase means subtracting each branch’s June count from its own July count. East increased by 140 − 120 = 20 visits; West increased by 95 − 80 = 15 visits. Comparing 20 with 15 supports the claim. Comparing different branches in different months does not calculate either branch’s increase, and percentage growth is not the requested measure.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  1. Choice A

    Correct answer

    These correctly calculated within-branch increases establish that East’s increase was larger.

  2. Choice B

    This compares a July value with another branch’s June value rather than calculating each increase.

  3. Choice C

    This reverses the two increases.

  4. Choice D

    East’s increase is 20, so the claim of equal 15-visit increases is incorrect.

Question 3 of 3

Original passage

A fictional town planning committee proposed tall lamps for a narrow lane. Residents said the lamps would shine directly into upstairs windows. The committee then selected shorter lamps with shields that directed light downward. It kept the original plan to illuminate the lane.

Which detail most directly supports the claim that the committee revised its design in response to residents’ concern?

Choose an answer for question 3
View worked answer for question 3

Correct answer

Choice D: After residents raised the window issue, the committee chose shorter, shielded lamps.

Explanation

The concern involved light entering upstairs windows. The subsequent change to shorter lamps with downward-facing shields directly addresses that concern. The lane’s width, the initial proposal and the unchanged lighting goal provide context but do not themselves establish a responsive design revision.

Why each choice is right or wrong

  1. Choice A

    The lane’s width is background information, not evidence of a response to the window concern.

  2. Choice B

    The original proposal precedes the concern and does not demonstrate the revision.

  3. Choice C

    Keeping the lighting goal shows continuity, not the design change that addresses the concern.

  4. Choice D

    Correct answer

    This connects the stated concern to a later design change that reduces upward-directed light.

Common mistakes

  • Confusing related information with proof: explain exactly how the evidence supports the claim.

  • Choosing the largest final total for an increase question: compare the beginning and ending values.

  • Accepting stronger wording than the evidence allows: a limited response or observation does not prove a universal preference.

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Common questions

What is the difference between evidence and a relevant detail?

A relevant detail concerns the same subject. Supporting evidence also establishes the particular claim. Market attendance is relevant to a market, but survey preferences directly support a preference claim.

How should I approach a data-based evidence question?

Name the requested measure before calculating. For a numerical increase, subtract the earlier value from the later value for each item, then compare those increases.

Can evidence support a limited claim but not a broad one?

Yes. A survey of 80 respondents can establish what those respondents selected without proving what every resident prefers. Preserve the claim’s population and conditions.

Sources

  1. College Board: The Reading and Writing Sectionsatsuite.collegeboard.org

Sources are linked for reference; they do not endorse PeakSAT. How we prepare our guides