Compare claims and evidence across related passages or parts of a passage.
Keep each writer's claim and support attached to the correct source.
Core Idea
In paired passages, keep each author's claim and support attached to the correct source. Two writers may discuss the same work or event but rely on very different evidence to make their cases.
Understanding
Humanities paired passages often look similar on the surface because both writers address the same artist, text, or cultural question. The real work is to notice how they differ in both conclusion and proof. One author may rely on letters, drafts, or notebooks, while another relies on stylistic analysis, public reception, or later historical context.
Many wrong answers flatten the passages into one blended viewpoint. Others correctly notice disagreement but misidentify the evidence each writer uses. The best answer preserves both pieces of structure: what each author believes and how each author supports that belief. Keep claim and evidence attached to the right passage all the way through the choices.
Step by Step
- State each author's main claim in one sentence.
- Identify the main type of support each author uses.
- Check whether the passages agree, disagree, or partly overlap.
- Choose the answer that keeps both the claims and the evidence sources straight.
Misconceptions
- If two passages discuss the same artwork, they must use the same evidence.
- If two authors disagree, they must be responding to the same proof.
- A shared topic means the authors share a viewpoint.
Worked Example
Passage A argues that a poet's late images were shaped most directly by notebooks and letters written during travel, citing dated journal entries and correspondence. Passage B argues instead that those images grew from the poet's close reading of translated epics, pointing to repeated phrasing and parallel scenes across the texts. Based on the passages, which statement best compares the evidence the authors use?
Select an answer to see the explanation