SAT Command of Evidence — Quantitative
Use a table or graph to complete or support a claim in the text.
How to score it
- Read the claim first, then go hunting in the figure for exactly what it asks.
- If the claim is a comparison, your answer must cite two data points with the right relationship.
- Check the data actually shows it — don't accept a number that's real but irrelevant.
Common traps
- Cites a correct value that doesn't satisfy the claim's logic.
- Single data point where the claim needs a comparison or trend.
- Right numbers, wrong direction (more vs. less, increase vs. decrease).
The 1 question type, with real examples
Use data to complete a claim
“Which choice most effectively uses data from the [table/graph] to complete the example?”
Ecologists studying reproductive strategies in songbirds have observed an inverse relationship between body mass and clutch size in many species. A biologist examining four common North American songbirds found patterns that generally support this observation, noting that ______Bird Species Average Body Mass (grams) Average Clutch Size (eggs) American Robin 77 3.8 Blue Jay 85 4.2 House Sparrow 27 4.9 Northern Cardinal 45 3.5
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the text?
- Athe House Sparrow, with the smallest average body mass at 27 grams, has the largest average clutch size at 4.9 eggs.✓
- Bthe Blue Jay has both the largest average body mass and the largest average clutch size among the four species.
- Cthe American Robin has an average body mass of 85 grams and an average clutch size of 3.8 eggs.
- Dthe House Sparrow has an average clutch size of approximately 5.2 eggs.
Choice A is correct because it accurately identifies that the House Sparrow has both the smallest body mass (27 grams) and the largest clutch size (4.9 eggs), which supports the inverse relationship described in the passage.
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