Supporting Evidence Practice Test

Which example from the text best illustrates the main idea?

 The author argues that in literature, a character’s moral growth is often revealed through small choices rather than grand speeches. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the author of this passage concludes that Scout’s development is shown when she learns to interpret others’ actions with empathy. Instead of simply obeying adults, Scout gradually understands why fairness sometimes requires patience and self-control.

 The passage points to Scout’s first day of school, when she is confused by classroom rules and feels embarrassed by her teacher’s criticism. Later, Scout begins to recognize that adults make decisions shaped by their own fears and limitations. The author then highlights Atticus’s advice that one should “climb into <u>another person’s</u> skin and walk around in it,” arguing that this lesson becomes a standard Scout uses to judge conflicts.

 In addition, the author cites Scout’s behavior near the novel’s end, when she stands on Boo Radley’s porch and imagines the neighborhood from his perspective. This moment, the author argues, is not merely descriptive; it signals that Scout can finally see her community as a web of connected lives. Therefore, the author concludes that Scout’s empathy is the novel’s clearest marker of maturity.

Which piece of evidence best supports the author's main argument?

 The author argues that Florence Nightingale’s impact on medicine came as much from statistics as from bedside care. While she is often remembered for nursing wounded soldiers during the Crimean War (1853–1856), the author concludes that her most lasting contribution was persuading governments to reform sanitation through data. The passage explains that poor ventilation, contaminated water, and overcrowding caused preventable deaths in military hospitals.

 The author cites Nightingale’s reports to British officials after the war, which included carefully organized mortality figures. She used visual charts, including the famous “coxcomb” diagrams, to show that disease killed far more soldiers than battlefield injuries. Secondary historians quoted in the passage argue that these clear comparisons made it difficult for policymakers to ignore the problem. As reforms were implemented, hospital death rates declined, supporting the author’s claim that data-driven advocacy produced measurable change.

 The passage also notes that Nightingale’s approach influenced later public health efforts. By treating sanitation as a matter of evidence and administration, she helped establish a model for reforms that could be evaluated. Therefore, the author concludes that Nightingale should be understood as a pioneer of applied statistics in service of human welfare.