Evidence supports a statement only when it is about the same group, the same amount and the same time as the statement. This lesson gives you a quick three-part check to run on any figure or observation in claims, reasons and evidence.
What does “supports” mean?
Evidence supports a statement when, if the evidence is true, the statement becomes more believable. It does not need to prove it beyond doubt. It does need to be about the same thing.
Many weak arguments use evidence that is true but pointed in a slightly different direction. Your task is to notice the gap and describe it.
Step by step
- Write the statement in your own words, underlining its key words, such as “most”, “every day” or “students”.
- Write what the evidence actually shows, using only what the source states.
- Match who: is the evidence about the same people or things?
- Match how much: does the amount fit words such as “most” or “all”? Do the arithmetic where figures are given.
- Match when: is the time period the same?
- Conclude: supports, partly supports or does not support, with the reason.
Worked example
An invented survey summary (fictional school, Sekolah Contoh, 400 students) says: “Most students use the library every day. The library visit log recorded 120 visits in one week.”
Step 1, the statement: most students use the library every day.
Step 2, the evidence: 120 visits were recorded in one week.
Step 3, who: the log counts visits, not students. One student visiting five times would count five times.
Step 4, how much: even if all 120 visits were by different students, that is 120 out of 400. 120 ÷ 400 = 0.3, or 30%, which is not “most”.
Step 5, when: a week of visits does not show whether any student came every day.
Step 6, conclusion: the evidence does not support the statement. It supports a smaller one: there were 120 library visits in one week.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to accept evidence because it contains numbers.
Mistaken answer: “The evidence supports the statement because it gives an exact figure of 120 visits.”
A precise figure is not the same as a relevant one.
The correction is to run the three matches before judging. The figure is exact, but it measures visits rather than students, so it cannot show that most students visit daily. Naming that mismatch is what earns the explanation its credit.
Check yourself
1. Statement: “Students at the school walk to school.” Evidence: a poll of 20 students waiting at the bus stop, 3 of whom said they sometimes walk. Does it support the statement?
Show answer
No. The sample is students at the bus stop, who are the ones least likely to walk. It is also only 20 people, and “sometimes” is not the same as “walk to school”.
2. Statement: “The canteen sold more drinks this month than last month.” Evidence (invented canteen record): 540 drinks last month and 610 this month. Does it support the statement, and what does it leave unshown?
Show answer
Yes, it supports the statement as written, because 610 is greater than 540 (70 more). It leaves unshown why sales rose, for example whether this month had more school days.
3. Statement: “Most of Class 4A cycle to school.” Evidence: 12 of the class’s 30 students cycle. Does it support the statement?
Show answer
No. 12 ÷ 30 = 0.4, or 40%, which is fewer than half. The evidence supports “some of Class 4A cycle”, not “most”.
Where this leads next
Once you can judge the link, look for the hidden step that connects them in identifying an assumption in an argument. If you want to review the sorting first, return to distinguishing a claim from a reason.
Some students can do this on a page of short texts but lose it in a full research source. A teacher can practise that transfer with you in online one-to-one Global Perspectives tuition.