Digital SAT Command of Evidence Questions: Diagramming Drill Set 1
Command of Evidence questions are some of the toughest on Digital SAT Reading & Writing. Learning to diagram will help you quickly analyze SAT passages, so you can get the answer right every time!
Greetings, Quiz Hackers! The below exercises will help you master one of the most important strategies for Digital SAT Command of Evidence questions. This drill set is designed to give you practice with the fundamentals of argument diagramming—an essential skill for identifying how arguments are constructed, which directly contributes to succeeding on the Reading & Writing section of the digital SAT.
What is Argument Diagramming?
Argument diagramming is a method used to visually break down the structure of an argument into its individual claims, including premises and conclusions. This helps clarify how an argument’s conclusion relies on its premises.
Premises are statements that provide evidence or reasons to believe a conclusion.
The conclusion is the statement that the premises are meant to support or prove.
Why Is Diagramming Important?
The Digital SAT places a strong emphasis on your ability to analyze texts and determine how authors support their claims. You won’t need to diagram every Command of Evidence passage when sitting for the Digital SAT. However, it’s helpful to practice diagramming as part of your SAT prep. Learning to diagram arguments helps you:
Identify the logical connections between ideas.
Evaluate the strength and relevance of evidence presented.
Enhance your critical thinking skills, which are crucial for scoring high on the Reading & Writing section of the Digital SAT.
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Exercises Overview
You will practice with simple arguments, each consisting of two premises leading to a conclusion. The arguments include logical indicators (e.g., “because”, “since”, or “given that” for premises; "therefore" or "since" for conclusions). However, not every premise or conclusion is marked with an indicator. For some of them, you’ll need to infer these connections yourself. This will help build up your ability to analyze more subtle texts.
Understanding Argument Diagramming Through an Example
Before you dive into the exercises, let’s walk through a basic example to illustrate how to use indicators to identify premises and conclusions and to show how a simple argument diagram can be constructed. This will provide a foundation for the skills you'll need to effectively tackle Command of Evidence questions on the Digital SAT.
Example Argument:
All humans are mortal. Therefore, Socrates is mortal, since Socrates is human.
Step 1: Identify the Conclusion
First, determine the conclusion of the argument—the statement that the premises are trying to either prove or show is most likely true. Look for conclusion indicators such as "therefore," "thus," "consequently," or "hence." In our example, the conclusion can be clearly identified by the presence of "therefore."
Conclusion: Socrates is mortal.
Note that the “conclusion” isn’t the last statement that appears in the argument. That’s because we’re looking for the logical conclusion of the argument — the statement that the other statements lead us to think is most likely true. This is important to keep in mind when analyzing Digital SAT Command of Evidence passages. While some passages will present the logical conclusion at the end, others will not.
Step 2: Identify the Premises
Let’s look at the argument again and see if we can identify the premises:
All humans are mortal. Therefore, Socrates is mortal, since Socrates is human.
Premises are the statements that give us good reason to believe the conclusion is true. They are often accompanied by indicators like "since," "because," "for," or "given that."
In this argument, "since" helps to pinpoint one of the premises: “Socrates is human.” The other statement in the argument (“All humans are mortal”) lacks an indicator, but we can nonetheless infer that it is meant to support the conclusion, making it a premise as well.
Premises:
All humans are mortal.
Socrates is human.
Step 3: Construct the Argument Diagram
An argument diagram visually represents the structure of an argument. The premises support the conclusion, which is shown at the bottom.
Diagram:
Premise 1. All humans are mortal.
Premise 2. Socrates is human.
-----------------------------------------
∴ Socrates is mortal.
How to Read the Diagram:
The premises are listed at the top as they provide the foundational statements.
The line separates the premises from the conclusion, underscoring the logical flow: the premises lead to, or support, the conclusion.
The symbol "∴" (therefore) signifies that the statement following it is the conclusion derived from the premises above.
The above example demonstrates how to use indicators to distinguish between different parts of an argument and how to lay out your thoughts in a structured diagram. Even if you don’t always use diagrams on every Command of Evidence question you encounter on test day, mastering this technique will significantly increase your skill at clarifying and analyzing arguments quickly and efficiently, a vital asset for SAT Reading & Writing and beyond.
Now, let's apply what you've learned in some exercises designed to help you practice and perfect these techniques.
Command of Evidence Diagramming Drill #1
Diagram the following argument. Check your answers using the model diagram provided.
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