AP English Language and Composition Quiz: Identify Supporting Evidence

In a 6-sentence article about urban trees, the author claims that street trees measurably reduce summer heat on city blocks. The author cites a university field study that compared two similar streets and found that at 3 p.m. on clear July days, the tree-lined block averaged 7°F cooler at sidewalk level than the block with sparse canopy. The author also notes that residents on the cooler block reported lower air-conditioning use, and the author references satellite imagery showing higher surface temperatures over large parking lots. The article ends by urging the city to prioritize canopy in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that street trees measurably reduce summer heat on city blocks?

In a 7-sentence editorial about public transit funding, the author argues that a city's "free-fare pilot" did not meaningfully reduce traffic congestion. The author notes that during the three-month pilot, downtown vehicle counts recorded by the city's loop sensors fell by only 1.2% compared with the same months the previous year, while ridership rose 18%. The author adds that parking garage revenue stayed "nearly flat" (down 0.4%) and quotes a delivery company manager who says, "Our drivers still lose the same 20 minutes on Main Street every morning." The author then concedes that the program helped low-income riders but insists congestion requires changing driving behavior, not only lowering transit costs.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that the free-fare pilot did not meaningfully reduce traffic congestion?

In a 6-sentence column about local journalism, the author claims that paying for news subscriptions supports more accurate community coverage. The author points to a neighboring town where a new subscriber-funded newsroom published a database of restaurant inspections and, over the next year, the county health department reported a 17% increase in on-time compliance after repeated public reporting on late filings. The author also notes that the newsroom issued three corrections in a year "with transparent editor's notes," contrasting it with a rumor-heavy social media group that rarely retracts posts. The column ends by urging readers to treat reliable reporting as a public utility.

The author supports the claim primarily by providing evidence that paying for news subscriptions supports more accurate community coverage through

In a 7-sentence commentary on food waste, the author claims that confusing date labels cause people to throw away safe food. The author quotes the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidance that "best if used by" dates refer to quality, not safety, and notes that many foods remain safe after the printed date if stored properly. The author then describes a local survey of 500 shoppers in which 58% said they discard yogurt the day after the "best by" date regardless of smell or appearance. The author adds an anecdote about a roommate who emptied the fridge every Friday because "the dates are basically expiration," and concludes that standardized labeling would reduce waste.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that confusing date labels cause people to throw away safe food?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A nutrition writer claims that front-of-package warning labels can reduce sugary drink consumption. She cites a 2022 study in which a supermarket chain placed black "High Sugar" icons on certain beverages; scanner data showed purchases of those drinks fell 14% over eight weeks, while purchases of unlabeled beverages in the same aisles remained steady. The writer adds that, in exit surveys, 41% of shoppers who noticed the icon said it "made me reconsider," even if they still bought the drink. She anticipates criticism that shoppers can ignore labels, but argues that the point is not perfect compliance; it is shifting habits at scale. She ends by noting that the chain did not change prices during the trial, reducing the likelihood that discounts explained the drop.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that warning labels can reduce sugary drink consumption?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

In an op-ed about municipal water, an engineer claims that fixing leaks is a cheaper "new water source" than drilling additional wells. She cites the city's annual audit estimating that 19% of treated water is lost through leaks before it reaches customers. She also includes a cost comparison from the public works department: repairing the worst leak clusters would cost $2.1 million and recover an estimated 1.4 million gallons per day, while drilling and connecting a new well would cost $6.8 million for roughly 1.0 million gallons per day. The engineer notes that the city already pays to treat and pump the leaked water, meaning residents are billed for water that never arrives. "Conservation," she writes, "is not only about shorter showers; it's about stopping the invisible spill beneath our streets."

The author supports the claim primarily by using which of the following as evidence for the claim that fixing leaks is cheaper than drilling additional wells?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

In a district memo about student sleep, a high school principal claims that later start times can improve academic performance. She cites the district's pilot program: two schools shifted from 7:25 to 8:30 a.m., and their average first-period failure rate fell from 11% to 6% over one semester. She adds that tardies in those schools dropped by 22%, while three comparable schools that did not change start times saw tardies remain essentially flat. The principal also references a state health department survey in which 58% of teens reported getting fewer than seven hours of sleep on school nights. "If we keep scheduling learning at the hour students are least alert," she concludes, "we should not be surprised when they underperform."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that later start times can improve academic performance?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A columnist argues that library fines often discourage reading rather than encourage responsibility. She describes a 10-year-old who stopped checking out books after his family accumulated $18 in late fees; the child told the librarian he was "afraid of making it worse." The columnist then cites a county library system that eliminated fines in 2021 and reported a 16% increase in youth card renewals the following year. That same system also reported that the percentage of overdue items returned within 30 days stayed nearly the same (from 83% to 82%), undercutting the fear that "everything will disappear." The columnist concedes that replacing fines with reminder texts costs money, but notes that the county's annual fine revenue had been less than 1% of its operating budget.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that library fines discourage reading?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A rural journalist argues that small-town newspapers still provide unique civic value even in the age of social media. She notes that in the last year her paper published 46 articles based on open-records requests, including a series that revealed the county ambulance service had response times exceeding its contract by an average of six minutes. After the series ran, the county commission voted to add a new overnight crew and posted monthly response-time data online. The journalist also points out that the paper's court docket summaries are often the only consistent public record of minor cases, since the county website is updated irregularly. She concedes that Facebook groups spread information faster, but argues that speed is not the same as verification.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that small-town newspapers provide unique civic value?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

An environmental historian argues that planting diverse native species makes urban parks more resilient to extreme weather. She references a 15-year monitoring project in two city parks: the park that replaced large monoculture lawns with mixed native prairie plots lost 9% of plant cover during a two-month drought, while a comparable park dominated by turf grass lost 28%. She also cites a university soil study showing that the prairie plots developed deeper root systems and increased soil organic matter by 0.6 percentage points, improving water retention. The historian acknowledges that native plantings can look "messier" than lawns, but notes that maintenance crews reported fewer irrigation hours after establishment. "A park isn't a carpet," she writes; "it's an ecosystem that has to survive the next surprise."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that diverse native plantings make parks more resilient to extreme weather?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A workplace newsletter argues that short, meeting-free blocks increase productivity more than adding new project-management software. The author references an internal experiment at a mid-size tech company: for four weeks, two departments instituted a daily 90-minute "no meeting" window, and both teams reported a 31% increase in tasks completed per sprint, as measured by their existing ticketing system. During the same period, a third department rolled out a new software tool but kept its meeting schedule; its tasks completed rose only 5% while employees reported spending "more time updating dashboards." The author admits self-reported satisfaction can be biased, but notes that the ticket counts were verified by managers. He concludes that "time is the first tool," and that software should serve time, not consume it.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that meeting-free blocks increase productivity more than adding new project-management software?

In a 6-sentence profile of a community college program, the author claims that short-term certificate courses can raise earnings quickly for adult learners. The author cites state labor data showing that graduates of a 12-week phlebotomy certificate earned a median of $4.10 more per hour one year after completion than they did the year before enrolling. The author also includes the story of a single parent who moved from retail to a clinic job within four months and notes that the program's tuition is covered for residents earning under 200% of the poverty line. The profile ends by arguing that "speed matters when rent is due."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that short-term certificate courses can raise earnings quickly for adult learners?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A city council member argues that converting one downtown traffic lane into a protected bike lane will help local businesses rather than hurt them. She points to a 2023 report from a nearby city showing that, after a similar redesign, retail sales on the corridor rose 12% over two years while citywide sales rose only 4%. She also notes that the same report found the commercial vacancy rate on that street dropped from 14% to 9%. Finally, she recounts a visit to three shop owners on the redesigned street, two of whom said "more walk-in customers" arrived once sidewalk seating expanded and car speeds slowed. Critics, she adds, "assume every customer arrives by car," even though the council's own parking study recorded that the two municipal garages within three blocks averaged 38% empty on weekends.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that the bike-lane conversion will help local businesses?

In a 6-sentence magazine column about sleep and school start times, the author claims that later start times improve student attendance. The author cites a district report showing that after the high school start time moved from 7:20 to 8:30, average first-period absences dropped from 14.8% to 9.1% over the same semester-length window. The author also includes an anecdote from a junior who says she stopped missing the bus once she could "sleep past 6," and the author notes that teachers reported fewer tardy slips. The column concludes by arguing that "policy should follow biology."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that later start times improve student attendance?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A community college dean argues that providing transit passes is an effective retention strategy. She cites the college's 2024 pilot: 600 students with demonstrated financial need received unlimited bus passes, and their semester-to-semester retention rate was 78%, compared with 69% for a matched group of similar students who did not receive passes. The dean also notes that the pass recipients logged fewer absences in the first month of classes, and that advisors reported fewer "transportation crisis" appointments. She acknowledges that retention is influenced by many factors, but argues the comparison group was matched on GPA, credits earned, and income bracket. "If students can't get to class," she writes, "tutoring and motivation speeches won't matter."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that providing transit passes improves student retention?

Read the following embedded passage and answer the question.

A museum director argues that free admission days can broaden who participates in the arts. She points to attendance records from her own institution: on the first Sunday of each month, when tickets are free, the museum averages 3,200 visitors, compared with 1,900 on paid Sundays. She also reports that zip-code data collected at the door show a larger share of visitors from neighborhoods outside the downtown core on free days (44% versus 27%). The director acknowledges that the gift shop makes slightly less per visitor on free days, but notes that total shop revenue is higher because more people come through. "If we only measure value by the ticket price," she writes, "we'll keep designing culture for the people already inside the building."

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that free admission days broaden who participates in the arts?

In a 6-sentence newsletter to residents about water conservation, the author claims that small household changes can significantly reduce citywide water use. The author cites the city utility's estimate that replacing old showerheads with 1.5-gallon-per-minute models saves about 2,900 gallons per person annually. The author adds that in the pilot rebate program, 3,200 households participated and the utility measured a 6% drop in average monthly consumption among those addresses compared with the prior year. The author then explains that "multiplying modest savings across thousands of homes creates real capacity," and urges readers to apply for the next rebate round.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that small household changes can significantly reduce citywide water use?

Read the following embedded passage (about 205 words):

Some parents at my middle school argue that arts funding is "nice but nonessential." Yet arts programs can improve student attendance and engagement in ways that spill into other classes. When the district restored the after-school theater club, participation filled within a week—62 students signed up, including several who had never joined a school activity. The assistant principal compared attendance records for club members: in the semester before theater, the group averaged 6.4 absences; during the theater semester, absences dropped to 3.9. Teachers also reported fewer tardies on rehearsal days, which makes sense when students want to be on campus.

I saw this with my brother, who used to fake stomachaches to avoid school. Once he had lines to memorize, he started asking our mom to drive him early so he could practice with friends. Of course, theater won't fix every barrier to attendance—illness and family responsibilities are real. But calling the arts "extra" ignores how belonging can be a lever. A school that invests only in what is tested may end up losing the very students it hopes to measure.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that arts programs can improve student attendance and engagement?

Read the following embedded passage (about 185 words):

Many people treat composting as a trendy hobby, but community composting can reduce landfill costs for a town. Our sanitation department began a pilot in three neighborhoods, placing sealed compost bins at parks and arranging weekly pickup. After four months, the department reported that trash tonnage from those neighborhoods fell by 11%, while yard-and-food waste collected separately rose as expected. The town's landfill contractor charges by weight, and the finance director estimated that the tonnage reduction translated to $18,700 in avoided fees over the pilot period.

The benefits weren't only financial. Residents started swapping tips about what could be composted, and a local garden club used the finished compost in a public flowerbed, which made the program visible. Critics point out that the pilot required up-front spending on bins and staff time. True—but the town already pays for trash hauling either way. The question is whether we want to pay to bury banana peels or to reuse them. The early numbers suggest the cheaper choice is also the less wasteful one.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that community composting can reduce landfill costs for a town?

Read the following embedded passage (about 210 words):

A surprising amount of our municipal budget disappears into "minor" water leaks, and fixing small leaks is one of the cheapest ways to cut city spending. Two years ago, the public works department began logging leak reports by street and repair type. In the first year, crews repaired 412 curbside leaks—most of them no bigger than a pencil—and the city's monthly water-loss estimate dropped from 14% to 9% of total treated water. The finance office calculated that the reduction saved roughly $640,000 in treatment and pumping costs, even after paying overtime for the repair crews.

Skeptics argue that big infrastructure projects matter more, and of course they do. But the city can't wait for a once-in-a-generation pipe replacement to stop wasting water today. A foreman told me that a single slow leak can run unnoticed for months because it drains into storm grates, not into someone's basement. Meanwhile, residents complain about rate hikes without realizing that the city is essentially paying to clean and pump water that never reaches a tap. The unglamorous work—patching, tightening, replacing a valve—doesn't make headlines, but it balances ledgers.

Which of the following does the author use as evidence for the claim that fixing small leaks is one of the cheapest ways to cut city spending?