Let’s Solve an Example

Alright, let’s dive into an example of an “evidence or proof” type question for the SAT reading section. This time, I encourage you to give it a try on your own before we go through the step-by-step explanation together. Remember to carefully analyze the passage, locate the relevant evidence, and choose the answer choice that best supports the claim. You’ve got this!

Here’s the example:

In the short story “The Forgotten Key,” the author transports readers to a mysterious world where secrets abound. The protagonist, Lily, stumbles upon an ancient key that unlocks a hidden chamber in her grandmother’s house. As she steps inside, the passage describes a room frozen in time, with dusty artifacts and faded photographs. The author uses vivid imagery to describe Lily’s awe as she exclaims, “The room seemed to hold stories of the past, waiting to be discovered.” Lily carefully examines the artifacts, noticing a journal placed on a wooden desk. The journal, written by her grandmother, reveals tales of adventure and lost treasures. The passage continues, “Lily’s heart raced as she read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates and her quest to find a legendary gemstone.” The author skillfully builds suspense, hinting at the key’s significance and setting the stage for Lily’s own journey of discovery.

Which sentence provides the best evidence for the claim that Lily’s grandmother had a daring encounter with pirates?

A) “Lily carefully examines the artifacts, noticing a journal placed on a wooden desk.”
B) “The room seemed to hold stories of the past, waiting to be discovered.”
C) “The author uses vivid imagery to describe Lily’s awe as she exclaims…”
D) “Lily’s heart raced as she read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates…”

Now, let’s go through the step-by-step explanation to determine the correct answer together:

Step 1: Analyze the Passage
In this step, we need to understand the main idea and purpose of the passage. The passage introduces the protagonist, Lily, who discovers a hidden chamber and encounters artifacts in her grandmother’s house. The question asks us to find the sentence that provides the best evidence for the claim that Lily’s grandmother had a daring encounter with pirates.

Step 2: Eliminate Incorrect Answers
Let’s evaluate each answer choice and eliminate the ones that do not provide strong evidence for the claim.

A) “Lily carefully examines the artifacts, noticing a journal placed on a wooden desk.” This sentence describes Lily examining the artifacts and noticing a journal but does not directly provide evidence of her grandmother’s encounter with pirates. Keep it as a possible choice for now.

B) “The room seemed to hold stories of the past, waiting to be discovered.” This sentence suggests that the room holds stories of the past but does not directly provide evidence of Lily’s grandmother’s encounter with pirates. Eliminate it as an incorrect choice.

C) “The author uses vivid imagery to describe Lily’s awe as she exclaims…” This sentence describes the author’s use of vivid imagery but does not directly provide evidence of Lily’s grandmother’s encounter with pirates. Eliminate it as an incorrect choice.

D) “Lily’s heart raced as she read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates…” This sentence directly supports the claim by stating that Lily read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates. It is the strongest contender for the correct answer.

Step 3: Identify the Correct Answer
Among the answer choices, sentence D provides the best evidence for the claim that Lily’s grandmother had a daring encounter with pirates. It directly states that Lily read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates in the journal. Therefore, the correct answer is D) “Lily’s heart raced as she read about her grandmother’s encounters with pirates…”

Now that we’ve gone through the explanation, see how you did! Remember, practice is key to mastering these types of questions. Keep working on identifying the supporting evidence within the passages, and you’ll become more confident in tackling “evidence or proof” questions on the SAT reading section.