Select the best evidence (quote, finding, data point) to support a claim or conclusion.
Core Idea
Identify the single quote, finding, or data point that most directly supports a stated claim or conclusion.
Understanding
When a question asks you to select the best evidence, four answer choices will each offer a different piece of evidence. Only one has a direct, logical connection to the specific claim in the passage. The others will be related to the general topic but miss the actual argument.
Read the claim carefully before looking at the choices. Pin down exactly what the passage is arguing — not just the topic, but the specific position. Then test each choice by asking: "If this were true, would it make the claim more convincing?"
The strongest evidence does two things: it's relevant to the claim (not just the topic), and it's specific enough to actually move the needle. Vague or tangential evidence is how the test builds its best distractors.
Step by Step
- Identify the exact claim or conclusion the question refers to.
- Before reading the choices, predict what kind of evidence would support that claim.
- Test each choice: does it directly make the claim more believable?
- Eliminate choices that relate to the topic but not the specific claim.
- Pick the choice with the tightest logical link to the claim.
Misconceptions
- Picking evidence that's interesting or impressive rather than directly relevant to the claim.
- Choosing a quote that mentions the same keywords as the claim without actually supporting it.
- Confusing evidence that describes the topic with evidence that supports the specific argument.
Worked Example
A literary scholar argues that Emily Dickinson's relationship with fame was marked by genuine ambivalence rather than simple rejection. While Dickinson chose to live in relative seclusion and published fewer than a dozen poems during her lifetime, her letters reveal a more complex attitude. She actively corresponded with Thomas Wentworth Higginson, a prominent editor, seeking his opinion on her work.
Which finding, if true, would best support the scholar's conclusion about Dickinson's ambivalence toward fame?
Select an answer to see the explanation