Recap
- Writers use evidence strategically and purposefully to illustrate, clarify, exemplify, associate, amplify or qualify.
- Evidence is effective when commentary explains its relationship to the claim, and sufficient when its quantity and quality give apt support.
- Interpretation is recursive: a claim can lead to evidence and evidence can reshape the claim.
The five-question audit
| # | Question |
|---|---|
| 1 | Is it relevant to the claim, not merely the topic? |
| 2 | What job does it do? |
| 3 | Where is it (beginning, middle, ending)? |
| 4 | Does it complicate the claim? |
| 5 | Does the set cover every part of the claim? |
Quality and quantity
- Quality: specific words, short embedded quotations, details that carry meaning.
- Quantity: enough to support the claim, including more than one location for a claim about a pattern.
- Balance: avoid one detail for a broad claim, or repeated details for a narrow one.
Handling counter-evidence
- Notice it.
- Decide whether it defeats the claim or complicates it.
- Revise the claim or explain the nuance.
- Use it to make the argument more precise.
Examples (public domain)
- The Cask of Amontillado (Edgar Allan Poe, 1846): for a claim about Montresor’s reliability, useful details include the unnamed “thousand injuries”, the smile “at the thought of his immolation” and the closing excuse of the “dampness of the catacombs”. A detail about Fortunato’s costume is interesting but not relevant to this claim.
Mini-example
Claim: “She hides her fear behind politeness.” Evidence set: a polite greeting (supports politeness), a trembling hand she tucks away (supports fear and hiding). Check: both parts of the claim are covered, from two different moments. If only the greeting were quoted, the claim would be insufficiently supported.
Assumptions
- A claim often has several parts, and each needs support.
- Evidence that merely repeats adds length, not strength.
- The best check is to read the claim and ask, “What have I shown for each part?”
Mistakes to avoid
- Using evidence that is about the topic but not the claim.
- Supporting only one part of a multi-part claim.
- Hiding counter-evidence.
- Relying on plot summary.
- Quoting at length when a phrase would do.
Quick self-check
1. A claim has two parts: “She is generous and she resents it.” The evidence shows only generous acts. What is missing?
2. A detail is vivid but unrelated to the claim. What should you do?
3. You find a quotation that contradicts your claim. List two options.
4. Why is evidence from the beginning, middle and end useful for a claim about a pattern?
Answers.
- Evidence of resentment; the claim is not covered.
- Leave it out, or save it for an argument where it is relevant.
- Revise the claim to account for it, or explain how it complicates but does not defeat the claim.
- It shows that the feature recurs and develops, which is what a pattern means.
Return to the Topic 7.8 study guide for the audit table and worked examples, then try the practice questions.