Command of Evidence
Finding quotes, facts, and trends in texts or data that support a given claim
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You get a claim. Your job: find the evidence — a quote, a data point, or a trend — that actually backs it up.
Why this matters
Command of Evidence appears across both reading and data modules on every Digital SAT. Students who treat it as one generic "find the answer in the passage" skill miss the point. The SAT tests four distinct evidence types — two are text-based and two are data-based. Knowing which type the question is asking for means you know exactly where to look and what to match.
The four patterns
Find the Quote
The question gives you a claim and four direct quotes from the text. You pick the quote that directly supports the claim — not the one that's merely related to the same topic.
›Find the Fact
You're handed a table or graph and a sentence with a blank. Locate the specific data point — a number, a name, a year — that accurately completes the statement.
›Find the Trend
Same data setup, bigger picture. Instead of one data point, you identify a pattern or comparison across the data that supports the given conclusion.
›Test the Hypothesis
A researcher has a claim. The question asks which hypothetical finding would strengthen or weaken it. You're not reading data — you're reasoning about what evidence would matter.
The biggest trap: picking evidence that's on-topic but doesn't actually prove the claim. The SAT loves answer choices that mention the right subject without supporting the specific argument. Always check: does this evidence prove the claim, or does it just relate to it?