Information and Ideas · Reading & Writing
Command of Evidence
Given a claim or a research finding, choose the quotation, example, or piece of data that most directly supports it. Some versions use a graph or table instead of a quotation.
52 questions in the bank · 10 easier · 28 medium · 14 harder · this domain is ≈26% of the section
What to watch for
Match the specific claim, not the general topic. The right evidence addresses exactly what the claim asserts; the tempting wrong ones are about the same subject but support a slightly different point.
How the question is worded
These are the actual stems used in the bank — the SAT reuses a small set of wordings, and recognising them saves time on test day.
- Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
- Which choice best describes data from the table that support the group's claim?
- Which choice best describes data from the table that support the journalist's argument?
- Which choice best describes data from the table that support the student's conclusion?
Worked examples
easyThe library's report notes that while most programs grew modestly over two yea…
The library's report notes that while most programs grew modestly over two years, one stands out: ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
- A. the genealogy workshop grew faster over the period than any other program on the list.
- B. the film series attracted 940 attendees in 2026, more than any other program that year.
- C. attendance at the teen coding club roughly tripled, rising from 310 to 940.
- D. attendance at story time rose from 1,420 to 1,510, the largest proportional gain shown.
Answer: C. attendance at the teen coding club roughly tripled, rising from 310 to 940.
Explanation
"One stands out" against modest growth — the coding club's tripling is the outlier, correctly quoted. D is one of the modest growers, A is contradicted (genealogy shrank), and B assigns the coding club's figure to the film series.
mediumA gardening club tested how storage conditions affect seed viability over time…
A gardening club tested how storage conditions affect seed viability over time. All seed batches germinated at similar rates after one year of storage. After three years, however, the differences were dramatic: ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
- A. refrigerated seeds fell from 61% to 24%, the steepest decline recorded for any of the three methods.
- B. all three storage methods still produced germination rates above 70% in the third year of the study.
- C. room-temperature seeds fell to a 24% germination rate, while frozen seeds retained a rate of 72%.
- D. frozen seeds germinated at 79% while refrigerated seeds reached 83%, a gap that widened by year three.
Answer: C. room-temperature seeds fell to a 24% germination rate, while frozen seeds retained a rate of 72%.
Explanation
The sentence promises dramatic year-3 differences, and the correct completion cites the extremes from the year-3 column: 24% versus 72%. D pulls year-1 numbers (where rates were similar), B is false in year 3 for two methods, and A scrambles values across rows and columns.
hardTrail crews rerouted several paths to follow the terrain's contours. Monitorin…
Trail crews rerouted several paths to follow the terrain's contours. Monitoring suggests the benefit of rerouting depends on the terrain itself: ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
- A. soil loss at Miner's Bend fell from 4.1 cm to 0.9 cm after rerouting, the largest reduction at any site.
- B. the rerouted alignments lost less soil than the old alignments at every one of the three sites, including Low Meadow on its gentle slope.
- C. rerouting cut annual soil loss by roughly three-quarters at the steep sites but made little difference at the gentle-slope site.
- D. Low Meadow's old alignment eroded faster than the old alignment at Aspen Gap did, at 0.7 cm a year.
Answer: C. rerouting cut annual soil loss by roughly three-quarters at the steep sites but made little difference at the gentle-slope site.
Explanation
The sentence sets up terrain-dependence, so the completion must contrast steep (large gains) with gentle (0.7→0.6, negligible). B is true but ignores the promised dependence; D reverses the table; A borrows Aspen Gap's 4.1 for Miner's Bend.