Ivy League Mentors Presents

Command of Evidence
Strategies & Practice
This guide is an excerpt from our textbook, DSAT Reading & Writing: The
Ultimate Guide. If you found it helpful, you can purchase the full version
here: https://www.patreon.com/ivyleaguementors/shop

Contents include

• Specialized strategies for approaching every question type within

every domain on the Reading & Writing Section of the Digital SAT, along
with realistic practice questions to help you get comfortable applying
them.
• Guides to all the important grammar and punctuation concepts
covered on the test, along with realistic practice questions to help you
master them
• Guides to difficult text types, including poetry and texts with graphics,
along with realistic practice questions to help you approach them more
effectively
• A carefully curated list of high impact words, along with additional tips
to help you develop your vocabulary
• 4 full-length practice modules with comprehensive answer
explanations for additional practice and self-assessment
 Command of Evidence

Command of Evidence Questions require you to determine which answer choice would best support or
weaken an idea expressed in a text. They represent one of the three question types that make up the
Information & Ideas Domain of the Reading & Writing Section of the Digital SAT. This guide offers
strategies to help you answer these questions effectively, along with drills to help you practice applying
those strategies in solving questions similar to those you will encounter on the actual test.

How to Approach Command of Evidence Questions

We’ve found that students who earn top scores on the test tend to use the following steps when
approaching Command of Evidence Questions:

1. Read the question and determine what you will need to support or weaken. In most cases it will be a
claim or hypothesis. This step is important because it will help you know what you need to focus on in
the text.

2. Read the text selectively, focusing on understanding the idea that you will need to support or weaken.
This step is important because if you don’t understand the idea, you won’t be able to determine what
kind of information would support or weaken it.

3. Determine what kind of information would support or weaken the idea. This step is important because
if you can’t determine what kind of information would support or weaken the idea, you won’t be able to
evaluate the answer choices.

4. Read the answer choices carefully, searching for an answer that provides information that would
support or weaken the idea. If an answer does not jump out to you, try eliminating answer choices that
obviously fail to provide information that would support or weaken the claim.

Let’s use those steps to tackle a question similar to the ones you will encounter on the test:

White Noise is a 1984 novel by Don DeLillo. It underscores the emptiness and superficiality that can
result from a society obsessed with material wealth, while also exploring the ways in which consumer
culture can shape individuals' identities and perceptions of the world around them. The characters in
the novel are often seen indulging in consumerist behaviors, seeking solace and identity through the
accumulation of possessions and the pursuit of brand names, as is evident when the narrator reflects,
__________

Which choice most effectively uses a quotation from White Noise to illustrate the claim?
A. “before us lay a scene of panoramic disorder. Cars trapped in mud, cars stalled, cars crawling along
the one-lane escape route, cars taking shortcuts through the woods, cars hemmed in by trees,
 boulders, other cars.”
B. “I shopped with reckless abandon. I shopped for immediate needs and distant contingencies. I
shopped for its own sake, looking and touching, inspecting merchandise I had no intention of buying,
then buying it.”
C. “the deeper we delve into things, the looser our structure may seem to become. The family process
works towards sealing off the world. Small errors grow heads, fictions proliferate.”
D. “all plots tend to move deathward. This is the nature of plots. Political plots, terrorist plots, lovers’
plots, narrative plots, plots that are part of children’s games. We edge nearer death every time we
plot. It is like a contract that all must sign.”

The question requires us to use a quotation from White Noise to illustrate the claim. Therefore, when we
read the text, we should focus on understanding the claim, which comes in the final sentence: “the
characters in the novel are often seen indulging in consumerist behaviors, seeking solace and identity
through the accumulation of possessions and the pursuit of brand names.” In short, the claim seems to
suggest that characters act as consumers, seeking to accumulate material possessions. The correct
answer will provide a quotation that supports this notion. Examining the answer choices, it should
become apparent that the best answer is (B), as it describes characters shopping in a frenzied or
obsessed manner. Therefore, we can pick it with confidence.

Command of Evidence Questions with Infographics

Some Command of Evidence Questions will be accompanied by an infographic such as a table or graph.
Like other Command of Evidence Questions, these questions will ask you to determine which answer
choice would best support or weaken an idea expressed in a text, but with the additional requirement
that you use data from the infographic. When you encounter these questions, DO NOT jump to the
infographic. That’s because it is common for several (if not all) answer choices to correctly present
information from the infographic. Rather, you should approach these the same way you would any
Command of Evidence Question, with the possible addition of a final step.

5. If multiple answers would support or weaken the idea, check them against the graphic.

Sometimes this step will be unnecessary. That’s because sometimes there will only be one answer that
supports or weakens the claim. However, in most cases, it will be necessary to take this step, so
remember that the correct answer must be true according to the infographic in addition to merely
supporting or weakening the idea.

Let’s examine another question to see how that might work:

 A sociology student is reading an essay on changes in the fertility rate in Europe. The author of the
essay cites common factors contributing to declining fertility rates, such as increased access to
contraception, greater educational and career opportunities for women, and the rising costs of raising
children. The student, however, asserts that beyond these common factors, there must be additional
influences specific to particular countries that have impacted how fertility rates have changed over
time.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph that support the student’s assertion?
A. In both 2000 and 2020, the fertility rate in Portugal was higher than in both Spain and France.
B. The fertility rate in France declined sharply between 2010 and 2015, while the fertility rate in Spain
and France was constant or increasing over the same period.
C. While the fertility rate in Portugal fell significantly between 2005 and 2010, it remained nearly flat
between 2010 and 2020.
D. Since 2000, the fertility rate in both Portugal and France has declined by at least 0.5, but in Spain,
the fertility rate has only declined by about 0.1.

The question indicates that we should focus on the student’s assertion, which is that “there must be
additional influences specific to particular countries that have impacted how fertility rates have changed
over time.” What kind of information would support this? If there are additional influences specific to
particular countries, we would expect that fertility rates have not followed the same trend in all
countries. Any answer that both suggests this and is true according to the graph could be correct. (A) can
be eliminated because, although it does suggest a difference in fertility rates in two countries, it does not
suggest that their fertility rates have changed differently over time. (B) is the correct answer because it
shows that fertility rates exhibited different changes in different countries and is true according to the
graph. (C) can be eliminated because it does not highlight any difference in fertility rate trends between
countries. (D) can be eliminated because, although it does demonstrate a difference in how fertility rates
have changed in different countries, it is not true according to the graph—the fertility rate in Spain has
clearly declined by more than 0.1.
Hard Command of Evidence Questions: Indirect Answers

Occasionally, you may encounter an especially difficult Command of Evidence Question, where none of
the answer choices provided directly support or weaken the idea. Rather, it will support or weaken the
reasoning or evidence behind the idea. Therefore, if you have examined the answer choices and feel that
none of them adequately support or weaken the idea, take a step backwards and consider the reasoning
or evidence that was used to arrive at that idea. Let’s try that with the example question below.

Musical chills, also known as musical frisson, are an intriguing phenomenon that occurs when
individuals experience shivers or tingling sensations while listening to emotionally evocative music. To
shed light on the causes of musical chills, researchers from Columbia University conducted an
experiment in which participants were exposed to carefully selected musical pieces, ranging from
those deemed emotionally charged to those deemed neutral. To their surprise, participants were just
as likely to experience chills to pieces deemed neutral as they were to those deemed emotionally
charged. This led the researchers to hypothesize that musical chills may be triggered by factors other
than emotional response.

Which of the following, if true, would most directly undermine the researchers’ hypothesis?
A. Though participants were equally likely to experience musical chills when listening to neutral music,
their symptoms were more intense when listening to emotionally evocative music.
B. The phenomenon known as musical chills is not limited to music, but has also been observed in
participants reacting to highly emotional works of literature.
C. Some of the participants in the experiment were professional musicians, while others had little or
no musical experience.
D. The emotional intensity of a work of art is highly subjective, and may be shaped by factors such as
an individual’s culture, mood, and life experiences.

The correct answer must undermine the idea that “musical chills may be triggered by factors other than
emotional response.” To do this, it must suggest that only an emotional response can trigger musical
chills. However, none of the answers do that directly. (A) can be ruled out because, while it indicates that
emotionally evocative music triggers more intense chills, it also suggests that non-emotional music can
trigger chills. (B) can be eliminated because, while it suggests that both emotional music and literature
can cause musical chills, it does not suggest that musical chills can’t be caused by other factors. (C) can
be eliminated because it has no direct relation to whether factors other than emotion can elicit chills. (D)
is the correct answer, although to understand this, we need to consider the rationale behind the
hypothesis. The researchers hypothesized that factors other than emotion can trigger chills because they
noticed that in the experiment even subjects listening to music deemed neutral experienced chills. (D)
weakens their hypothesis because it provides another plausible explanation for why the subjects
listening to music deemed neutral experienced chills—emotional intensity is subjective, so maybe the
music that the researchers deemed emotionally neutral was actually emotional to those subjects.
Command of Evidence Practice

Command of Evidence #1
Though there is some debate about how the Moon formed, the most widely accepted theory is called
the Giant Impact Hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, around 4.5 billion years ago, during the
early stages of the formation of the solar system, a large object often referred to as Theia collided with
the young Earth. The impact was incredibly violent and resulted in the ejection of a large amount of
debris from Earth into space. This ejected material came together through gravitational forces and
formed a disk of molten rock and dust around the Earth. Over time, the debris in the disk began to
coalesce and form the Moon.

Which finding, if true, would most directly undermine the Giant Impact Hypothesis.
A. It is discovered that Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s moons, was originally an asteroid that became
trapped by Jupiter’s gravity.
B. Analysis of lunar samples collected by the Apollo missions yields isotopic ratios identical to those of
specific rocks on Earth.
C. Analysis of lunar samples collected by the Apollo missions reveals an abundance of spinel, a
material rare on Earth and unlikely to have been present on an object like Theia.
D. A collision of two planets in another solar system is observed to result in large amounts of space
debris.

Command of Evidence #2
In 2023, Dr. Emily Carter and her peers conducted an intriguing experiment to investigate the impact
of pesticide exposure on honeybee populations. Hives in the control group were placed in
pesticide-free environments, while those in the experimental group were positioned near fields
treated with neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been implicated in colony collapse disorder (CCD), a
phenomenon characterized by the sudden disappearance of adult honeybees from beehives, leading
to the collapse of entire bee colonies. Over the course of a year, the researchers closely monitored the
health and behavior of the bees in both groups. Surprisingly, they discovered that the control group
experienced a significant decline in population and exhibited symptoms of CCD, whereas the
experimental group displayed no signs of the disorder and maintained stable populations. This
unexpected finding led the researchers to hypothesize that the low-level exposure to neonicotinoids
might have triggered a defense mechanism in the bees, enhancing their resilience to the pathogens
that may be responsible for CCD.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ hypothesis?
A. Another study observes that hives exposed to non-neonicotinoid pesticides were 40% less likely to
experience CCD than hives that hadn’t been exposed.
B. Another study observes that hives exposed to pesticides with neonicotinoids in them produced
more honey relative to their size than hives that had not been exposed to pesticides.
C. Another study observes that that bees from hives exposed to neonicotinoids exhibited more active
immune responses, which made them less vulnerable to infection by pathogens such as the bacterium
Melissococcus plutonius.
 D. Another study observes that hives exposed to non-neonicotinoid pesticides were dramatically less
likely to experience symptoms of CCD than hives exposed to neonicotinoids, though the severity of
symptoms in both groups was equal.

Command of Evidence #3
Neanderthals are an extinct species of hominid that lived in various parts of Europe and Asia during
the Pleistocene epoch, from approximately 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. Their sudden disappearance
is a subject that has intrigued researchers for decades. One of the most popular theories suggests that
Neanderthals were outcompeted by Homo sapiens because the latter possessed superior cognitive
abilities, technological advancements, and more efficient social structures. This competitive advantage
may have led to the gradual replacement or assimilation of Neanderthals by modern humans.

Which of the following, if true, would most directly undermine the theory discussed in the text?
A. Some modern humans contain traces of Neanderthal DNA.
B. Neanderthals created rudimentary tools like stone axes.
C. Neanderthals cared for their young as much as Homo sapiens.
D. Neanderthals and Homo sapiens occupied different regions and had little contact with one another.

Command of Evidence #4
“Appreciating Art” is a 2024 story by Ben Lasman. The narrator of the story is an experimental
performance artist whose current project involves eating a Hind helicopter. A critic has observed that,
while making a living from art, the narrator is essentially devoid of commercial interest.

Which quotation from the story most effectively illustrates the claim?
A. “While more modern variants, such as the Hind E, come equipped with advanced avionics and
electronics that inflate the price, the barebones weapons platform is pretty reasonable. We ended up
in talks with a seller from the Emirates who was willing to do low six-figures, with a couple RPGs and
AKs thrown in for some colleagues of mine who were doing an installation upstate.”
B. “Despite all evidence to the contrary, I’ve never been able to convince myself that my work has any
value. Value as in it could be worth something to anyone other than me. That my art could be
somebody’s investment makes my stomach ring hollow. My work is intensely personal, my body a
vitrine of organs marked by outlandish masochism.”
C. “I asked [my assistant] if the sponsors understood what they were supporting. I worried we were
overstretching ourselves, that the money would vanish the moment the real project was revealed.”
D. “Then the stock market entered correction territory, the cost of long-term capital went up, creditors
demanded extra margin, and all three of our biggest sponsors pulled out. I was speechless with
confusion when [my assistant] told me, but she helped give words to what I was supposed to feel.”

Command of Evidence #5
 Top-Selling Jazz Albums of All Time
“Album Title” / Artist Total Sales (millions) First Year Sales
(thousands)

“Kind of Blue” / Miles Davis 4.3 17

“Time Out” / Dave Brubeck 3.2 220

“Headhunters” / Herbie Hancock 2.1 28

“What A Wonderful World” / Louis 1.3 114

Armstrong

“Getz/Gilberto” – João Gilberto And 1.1 96

Stan Getz

The album "Kind of Blue" holds immense significance in the world of jazz and music as a whole.
Released in 1959 by legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest and
most influential albums in the history of jazz. "Kind of Blue" revolutionized the genre by introducing
modal jazz, a departure from the conventional chord progressions. The album's timeless compositions,
including the iconic "So What" and "All Blues," showcase the improvisational brilliance of Davis and his
ensemble, which included luminaries such as John Coltrane and Bill Evans. Its understated elegance,
rich harmonies, and delicate interplay between the musicians captivate listeners to this day.
Nevertheless, it was not an instant commercial success; for example, _______________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?
A. It only sold a modest 17 copies in the first year.
B. It went on to sell 4.3 million copies, a figure unsurpassed by any other jazz album.
C. It sold far fewer copies initially than commercial hits like Dave Brubeck’s Time Out and Louis
Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.”
D. It sold 17 thousand copies in the first year and 4.3 million copies in total.

Command of Evidence #6
 Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are magnificent creatures that captivate the imagination
with their sheer power and beauty. As the largest subspecies of tigers, they are renowned for their
impressive size and strength, with males weighing up to 660 pounds and measuring over 10 feet in
length. These majestic cats are primarily found in the remote forests of the Russian Far East and
northeastern China, where they roam vast territories in search of prey. Unfortunately, Amur tigers are
critically endangered, with only a few hundred individuals remaining in the wild. By far the greatest
threat to their survival is poaching. In fact, _________________.

Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the example?
A. poaching was responsible for less than half of Amur tiger deaths in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere
Reserve between 1992 and 2005.
B. poaching was responsible for ten Amur tiger deaths in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve between
1992 and 2005.
C. poaching may have been responsible for nearly 75% of Amur tiger deaths in the Sikhote-Alin
Biosphere Reserve between 1992 and 2005.
D. poaching was responsible for more Amur tiger deaths in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve
between 1992 and 2005 than all other factors combined.

Command of Evidence #7
Toni Morrison's 1977 novel Song of Solomon is widely regarded as a masterpiece of American
literature. Its exploration of African American identity and culture has had a profound impact on
subsequent generations of writers. Particularly significant is the novel’s nuanced depiction of its
protagonist, Milkman Dead, and his journey to discover his heritage. Some critics have argued that this
has encouraged other African American authors to delve into themes of ancestry and self-discovery in
their own works.

Which statement, if true, would most strongly support the critics’ claim?
 A. Since 1977, many African American authors have written novels that are thematically similar to
Song of Solomon.
B. Song of Solomon has been frequently included in academic courses on African American literature
and cultural studies.
C. Morrison's Song of Solomon won the National Book Critics Circle Award and continues to be a
best-seller in the US.
D. In interviews, several African American authors have cited Song of Solomon as a key inspiration for
exploring themes of heritage in their writing.

Command of Evidence #8
Painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886–1957) is renowned for his large-scale works that depict
Mexican history and social issues. In a paper for an art history class, a student claims that Rivera
excelled in blending elements of European art with indigenous Mexican aesthetics in his murals.

Which quotation from a scholar describing Rivera’s work would best support the student’s claim?
A. "In his mural Man at the Crossroads, Rivera combined the techniques of Italian Renaissance fresco
painting with the vibrant colors and symbolic imagery of pre-Columbian art."
B. "Rivera's mural The Flower Carrier features a single worker struggling to carry a large basket of
flowers, a scene that reflects his commitment to portraying the plight of the Mexican working class."
C. "Rivera’s Detroit Industry Murals, which he created in the early 1930s, cover the walls of the Detroit
Institute of Arts and are considered some of his most significant works."
D. "Rivera’s numerous portraits of Frida Kahlo, his wife and fellow artist, showcase his ability to
capture the complex emotions and personality of his subjects through expressive brushwork."
 Command of Evidence Answers
1. C
2. C
3. D
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. D
8. D