How to Answer Command of Evidence Questions on the SAT

Welcome to SAT Climb. Command of evidence is the single most common question type on the Reading and Writing section. And it's not about reading faster. It's about matching one exact claim to the one line that proves it.

Here's the shape of it. A short text, a specific claim, and four quotations. A researcher, Lena Ortiz, tests a new fertilizer on tomato plants, one group with it, one without. The question asks: which quote best supports that the fertilizer increased the yield? Notice the claim is exact. Increased yield.

Three steps. First, pin the exact claim: increased yield. Second, predict what would prove it before you even read the choices. I need something that shows more tomatoes with the fertilizer than without. Third, match. Choice C: forty percent more tomatoes than those grown without it. That is a direct comparison showing more yield. That's your answer.

Here's the trap. The other three choices are all true, and all about tomatoes. A talks about her experience. B describes the fertilizer. D is a general fact. Every one is true, and every one is wrong, because none of them is about the yield going up. True and on topic is still wrong if it doesn't hit the exact claim.

Your turn. A town adds a protected bike lane. Which quote best supports that it made cycling safer? Predict first. You want a safety outcome, something that actually went down. Green paint, cost, and national popularity are all off. Accidents fell by half after it opened. That is the outcome. That is B.

Three traps. One: picking a quote that's true but supports a different point. Two: falling for the most detailed or impressive sounding quote instead of the relevant one. Three: forgetting to go back to the exact words of the claim. Predict first, then match, and this becomes the easiest question on the section.

Command of evidence: solved. Pin the claim, predict the proof, match the line. Start practicing free at S.A.T. climb dot com. Your SAT is closer than you think.