Finding Evidence
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When someone asks you a question about a story or passage, you need to find evidence to support your answer. This is like being a detective - you look for clues in the text!
What is Evidence?
Evidence is information from a text that helps prove your answer is correct. Evidence can be a word, a sentence, or a detail from the story. Good readers always look for evidence to support their ideas.
How to Find Evidence
- Read the question carefully. What does it ask you to find?
- Go back to the text. Don't just guess from memory!
- Look for key words. Find words from the question in the text.
- Read around those words. The answer is usually nearby.
- Check your answer. Does the text support your choice?
Types of Evidence
- Direct quotes: Exact words from the text
- Details: Specific facts or information
- Examples: Things that show what the text means
Test-Taking Tip
On the SAT and ACT, many questions ask "Which sentence from the passage supports this answer?" Always go back to the text and find the EXACT evidence. Don't just pick what sounds right - find the proof!
Examples
Let's practice finding evidence in short passages.
Example 1: Finding a Fact
Passage: "The dog was very hungry. It had not eaten all day. The dog's bowl was empty."
Question: How do we know the dog was hungry?
Evidence: "It had not eaten all day" AND "The dog's bowl was empty."
Think: These sentences prove the dog was hungry by giving specific details.
Example 2: Finding Character Feelings
Passage: "Sara smiled from ear to ear. She jumped up and down. 'I won! I won!' she shouted."
Question: How did Sara feel?
Answer: Sara felt happy/excited.
Evidence: "Sara smiled from ear to ear" and "jumped up and down" and "shouted 'I won!'"
Example 3: Finding the Main Idea
Passage: "Bears sleep during the winter. This long sleep is called hibernation. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink. They live off the fat stored in their bodies."
Question: What is the passage mainly about?
Answer: How bears hibernate in winter.
Evidence: The whole passage talks about bear hibernation. Key words: "sleep during winter," "hibernation," "do not eat or drink."
Example 4: Finding Details
Passage: "The red bird sat on a branch. It had a black mask around its eyes. The bird ate seeds from the feeder."
Question: What did the bird look like?
Evidence: "red" (color), "black mask around its eyes" (face marking)
Example 5: Finding Cause and Effect
Passage: "It started to rain hard. The children ran inside. They did not want to get wet."
Question: Why did the children run inside?
Evidence: "It started to rain hard" AND "They did not want to get wet."
Think: The rain caused them to run inside because they didn't want to get wet.
Practice
Read each passage and find the evidence to answer the question.
Passage: "Tom's stomach was growling. He looked at the clock. It was noon."
Question: What evidence shows Tom was hungry?
Show Answer
Evidence: "Tom's stomach was growling." A growling stomach is a sign of hunger.
Passage: "The kitten hid under the bed. It shook with fear. The loud thunder scared it."
Question: Why was the kitten afraid?
Show Answer
Evidence: "The loud thunder scared it." The thunder caused the kitten's fear.
Passage: "Emma practices piano every day. She wants to play in the school concert."
Question: Why does Emma practice piano?
Show Answer
Evidence: "She wants to play in the school concert."
Passage: "The sun was setting. The sky turned orange and pink. Soon it would be dark."
Question: What time of day was it?
Show Answer
Evidence: "The sun was setting" and "Soon it would be dark." It was evening/sunset.
Passage: "Ben finished his homework quickly. He got every answer right. Ben is a good student."
Question: What evidence shows Ben is a good student?
Show Answer
Evidence: "He finished his homework quickly" and "He got every answer right."
Passage: "The flower needs water. Its leaves are drooping. The soil is dry."
Question: How do we know the flower needs water?
Show Answer
Evidence: "Its leaves are drooping" and "The soil is dry."
Passage: "Maya put on her coat and boots. She grabbed her umbrella. It was raining outside."
Question: What was the weather like?
Show Answer
Evidence: "It was raining outside." Also, she grabbed an umbrella, which is used in the rain.
Passage: "The baby bird cannot fly yet. Its wings are too small. The mother bird brings it food."
Question: Why can't the baby bird fly?
Show Answer
Evidence: "Its wings are too small."
Passage: "Jake ran as fast as he could. He crossed the finish line first. Everyone cheered."
Question: What evidence shows Jake won the race?
Show Answer
Evidence: "He crossed the finish line first."
Passage: "Grandma baked cookies all morning. The house smelled wonderful. We could not wait to eat them."
Question: What made the house smell good?
Show Answer
Evidence: "Grandma baked cookies all morning."
Check Your Understanding
Question 1: What is evidence?
Show Answer
Evidence is information from a text that helps prove your answer is correct. It's like a clue that supports what you're saying.
Question 2: Why is it important to find evidence when answering questions?
Show Answer
Evidence proves that your answer is correct. It shows that your answer comes from the text, not just from guessing.
Question 3: What should you do if you're not sure of an answer?
Show Answer
Go back to the text! Read it again and look for key words. Find evidence that supports your answer.
Question 4: Can evidence be just one word, or does it have to be a whole sentence?
Show Answer
Evidence can be one word, several words, or a whole sentence. What matters is that it supports your answer.
Next Steps
- Practice with books: When you read, ask yourself questions and find evidence in the text to answer them.
- Point to the proof: When someone asks you a question about a story, point to where in the text you found your answer.
- Keep learning: In the next lesson, you will learn about Choosing the Best Answer from multiple choices.