Bluebook SAT Test Command of Evidence Textual

Question 1

A student claims: 'The author believes that technology has made people less capable of sustained attention.' Which quotation from a passage would best support this claim?

Accepted Answer

'Studies indicate that the average attention span has declined from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds today, a change researchers attribute to digital media habits.'

Answer

'Smartphones have become ubiquitous in modern life, appearing in virtually every workplace and home.'

Answer

'Many educators embrace technology in the classroom as a tool for personalized learning.'

Answer

'The invention of the printing press similarly transformed how people processed information.'

Question 2

A writer argues: 'The town council's decision to ban plastic bags was largely symbolic with minimal environmental impact.' Which piece of evidence would most undermine this argument?

Accepted Answer

'Within one year of the ban, plastic bag waste in the local river decreased by 72 percent.'

Answer

'The council voted 5-3 in favor of the ban after two hours of debate.'

Answer

'Several neighboring towns have considered similar bans in recent years.'

Answer

'Plastic bags make up a small fraction of total plastic pollution globally.'

Question 3

Read this passage: 'Urban green spaces — parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets — have been shown to lower stress hormone levels in nearby residents. One study found that people living within 300 meters of a park had cortisol levels 12% lower than those without nearby green space.' A student wants to support the claim that green spaces improve mental health. Which sentence from the passage provides the strongest textual evidence?

Accepted Answer

'have been shown to lower stress hormone levels in nearby residents'

Answer

'Urban green spaces — parks, gardens, and tree-lined streets'

Answer

'One study found that people living within 300 meters of a park'

Answer

'had cortisol levels 12% lower than those without nearby green space'

Question 4

A student is writing about how automation threatens manufacturing jobs. Which sentence would provide the best textual evidence for this argument?

Accepted Answer

'The manufacturing sector employed 19.6 million Americans in 1979, compared to 12.8 million today, with economists citing automation as a primary driver of the decline.'

Answer

'Automation technology has advanced rapidly since the introduction of industrial robots in the 1960s.'

Answer

'Some manufacturers argue that automation creates new jobs that require different skills.'

Answer

'Workers in automated factories report higher satisfaction due to reduced physical strain.'

Question 5

A passage states: 'The gold rush transformed California in ways that were both spectacular and devastating. The population exploded from 14,000 in 1848 to 250,000 by 1852. Simultaneously, hydraulic mining destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and deposited sediment that clogged rivers for decades.' A student claims: 'The gold rush had significant negative environmental consequences.' Which sentence from the passage best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

'Simultaneously, hydraulic mining destroyed thousands of acres of farmland and deposited sediment that clogged rivers for decades.'

Answer

'The gold rush transformed California in ways that were both spectacular and devastating.'

Answer

'The population exploded from 14,000 in 1848 to 250,000 by 1852.'

Answer

'The gold rush transformed California in ways that were both spectacular and devastating.'

Question 6

A student reads a passage arguing that social media companies should be regulated like public utilities. The passage includes this quote from a researcher: 'When a platform controls the information environment of three billion users, its decisions about content moderation carry the same weight as public policy.' How does this quote function as evidence in the argument?

Accepted Answer

It supports the regulatory argument by equating platform influence with government-level policy impact

Answer

It provides a definition of what a public utility is according to legal standards

Answer

It suggests that social media companies are too large to be regulated effectively

Answer

It argues that content moderation decisions are always politically motivated

Question 7

Read this passage: 'Bilingual children develop executive function skills — the ability to switch between tasks, inhibit distractions, and manage working memory — earlier than monolingual peers. Researchers attribute this advantage to the constant mental exercise of managing two language systems simultaneously.' A student claims: 'Learning two languages simultaneously offers cognitive advantages.' Which part of the passage most directly supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

'Bilingual children develop executive function skills'

Answer

'the ability to switch between tasks, inhibit distractions, and manage working memory'

Answer

'earlier than monolingual peers'

Answer

'Researchers attribute this advantage to the constant mental exercise of managing two language systems simultaneously'

Question 8

A student argues: 'The author of this passage is more sympathetic to small farmers than to large agricultural corporations.' Which textual evidence would best support this interpretation?

Accepted Answer

'Small farms cultivate community, stewardship of the land, and ways of life that cannot be measured in bushels per acre,' the author writes.

Answer

The author describes agricultural corporations as 'efficiently organized enterprises serving global food chains.'

Answer

'Both large corporations and small farms play roles in the contemporary agricultural system,' according to the passage.

Answer

'The consolidation of agricultural land has accelerated over the past fifty years,' the author notes.