Bluebook SAT Test Command of Evidence Textual 2

Question 1

A student claims that a passage supports the idea that regular exercise improves academic performance. Which quotation would provide the strongest evidence?

Accepted Answer

'Students who participated in daily 30-minute aerobic exercise sessions showed a 17% improvement in standardized test scores compared to sedentary peers.'

Answer

Specific data showing a 17% test score improvement directly supports the claim that exercise improves academic performance.

Question 2

Read this passage: 'Many historians credit the introduction of the stirrup to Europe as a key factor in the development of feudalism. By allowing heavily armored knights to fight effectively on horseback, the stirrup made cavalry dominant in warfare. Lords who could equip knights gained military superiority, which was then reflected in the political and economic structures of medieval society.' A student wants to argue that military technology shaped social organization. Which evidence from the passage best supports this?

Accepted Answer

'Lords who could equip knights gained military superiority, which was then reflected in the political and economic structures of medieval society'

Answer

This sentence directly connects military advantage (equipping knights) to political and economic structures — exactly the claim that military technology shaped social organization.

Question 3

A student argues: 'The narrator of this story feels out of place in the new school.' The story includes these sentences: (1) 'She memorized every face in the cafeteria but ate alone.' (2) 'She answered questions correctly but watched to see if anyone noticed.' (3) 'Her old school had been smaller, warmer.' (4) 'She counted the days on her phone calendar.' Which sentence provides the strongest evidence?

Accepted Answer

Sentence 1

Answer

Memorizing faces but eating alone most directly and specifically shows social isolation — being physically present but excluded from belonging.

Question 4

A passage about renewable energy includes these four sentences: (1) 'Solar energy costs have fallen 89% over the past decade.' (2) 'Wind power generated 10% of U.S. electricity in 2022.' (3) 'Fossil fuel companies have lobbied against renewable subsidies.' (4) 'Battery storage technology has improved significantly in recent years.' A student claims: 'Renewable energy is becoming increasingly economically competitive.' Which sentence best supports this claim?

Accepted Answer

Sentence 1

Answer

An 89% cost reduction over a decade is the most direct evidence that solar (and by extension renewable) energy is becoming economically competitive.

Question 5

Read this passage: 'The novel's protagonist, James, often describes natural settings in elaborate detail when he is anxious, and uses clipped, minimal description when he is confident. When he enters the courtroom for his verdict, the author writes: The wood of the bench was smooth, almost warm.'  A student argues: 'James is confident when he enters the courtroom.' Does this textual evidence support, contradict, or neither clearly support nor contradict this argument?

Accepted Answer

The evidence contradicts the argument, because elaborate sensory detail in the established pattern suggests anxiety, not confidence

Answer

The passage establishes a pattern: elaborate detail = anxiety. James's sensory description of the bench follows the elaborate-detail pattern, suggesting anxiety, not confidence.

Bluebook SAT Practice Test Practice Test

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Bluebook SAT Test Command of Evidence Textual 2