| Evidence Questions Explaining |
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| Here's another form of evidence question. Which of the following facts, if true, would most help to explain X? In this type of evidence question, you, the test-taker, are asked to explain a statement made by the author of a statement. Try this example: 1) Your friend is not much fun tonight. She thinks everything you say is a criticism, her eyes are pink where they should be white, and she keeps yawning. Which of the following facts, if true, would most help to explain your friend's behavior? A) She is very happy. B) She is a little sad. C) She is very tired. So why is friend acting this way? While pink or red in the white part of the eyes might suggest she has been crying because she's a little sad, sadness, choice B, would not explain her yawning or sensitivity. Likewise, people do not often act this way when they are very happy. Choice C, she is very tired, is the best choice according to the evidence. Let's try a let's try a little more difficult question. Rico had been excited to be traveling back to the secluded beach where he'd once seen the stars so clearly that it seemed he could reach out and touch them. However, once he arrived, he was disappointed because, even though there were no clouds in the sky, he could barely see the stars at all. Which of the following facts, if true, would explain Rico's inability to see the stars. A) There was a bonfire burning about a hundred yards down the beach. B) There had recently been a hurricane. C) Rico used a flashlight to find his way to the beach. D) There was a full moon this time. E) Someone was listening to loud, annoying music on the beach. If the hurricane had brought clouds that were still present they would probably block the stars from view; however, the author states that there were no clouds in the sky when Rico returned to the beach. Choice B is not the best answer. Whole loud music may have been distracting (choice E), it would not affect Rico's ability to see the stars. Both flashlights and bonfires create light, but not enough light to block the stars from view. A full moon, on the other hand, is bright enough to illuminate (light up) the entire sky; choice D, there was a full moon at the time, is the best explanation for Rico's inability to see the stars. |
| "Which of the following, if true" asks a question about the answer choices. Here's another way to write the first part of this question: Which answer choice contains information that, if that information were correct,would explain the statement. |
| Pancho considers the evidence and decides which is the most likely reason for the current situation. |
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