Reading & Writing · Information and Ideas · COE
Command of Evidence
Command of Evidence is support. The quote or the graph has to do the job the stem named — not merely mention the same noun.
What Bluebook is testing
COE is textual and quantitative evidence: which finding supports the claim, which sentence completes the argument, which data point is the one that matters.
How it shows up
A claim plus four excerpts, or a short table/graph. Hard items have two choices that are on-topic and only one that is actually evidence for the specific claim.
A method that survives Module 2
Underline the claim in six words. Every choice has to support those six words. On a graph, read the axes first. Then find the claim's comparison. If two choices both 'mention it,' keep the one that would still work if you deleted the rest of the passage.
Traps that look like knowledge
- Evidence that is about the topic but points the other direction
- A true fact that does not connect to the claim's verb (causes, undermines, illustrates)
- Reading a table row that is adjacent to the one the claim uses
- Picking the most dramatic number instead of the relevant one
Questions
- What is "Command of Evidence" on the Digital SAT?
- It is an official College Board skill in Digital SAT Reading & Writing. The wording on Bluebook matches the domain taxonomy Drilled uses in drills, analytics, and the notebook.
- How does Drilled train Command of Evidence?
- Filter the bank to the skill, run a timed drill, autopsy every miss, and let the notebook bring the same pattern back. Domain drills and full section sims include the skill at the official mix.
- What is the most common trap on Command of Evidence?
- Evidence that is about the topic but points the other direction
Related
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