Selecting the Strongest Support for a Specific Claim

Every claim has a shape, and only certain evidence fits it. A claim about how common something is needs a number that measures occurrence: a count, a rate, a total. A claim about change over time needs a trend: measurements taken at two or more points that move in a direction. A claim about a trait like discipline needs a fact that looks like that trait in action, not a fact that merely sounds impressive nearby. When you check an answer choice, don't ask 'is this a good fact about the topic?' Ask 'does this fact's shape match the claim's shape?' A vivid anecdote feels persuasive, but it describes one case, and a claim about frequency is a claim about many cases. A dull statistic that actually counts things will always outrank a colorful story when the claim is about how common something is.

Words inside the claim tell you exactly what shape to look for. 'Common,' 'rare,' and 'most' point to counts or proportions. 'Increasingly,' 'growing,' and 'declining' point to trends, so you need at least two time points moving the same direction, not one impressive number sitting alone. 'Demands discipline' points to a routine or a constraint followed over time, not a reward or an outcome like a prize or a win. Matching the word in the claim to the kind of evidence it demands is the whole skill.

This question sits right next to the whole-essay and rhetorical-purpose questions on the enhanced format, because both ask you to read a claim precisely before judging what serves it. The same instinct, checking fit over flash, carries into deciding whether an entire paragraph or essay accomplishes its stated goal.