Which best describes how to cite textual evidence to support a claim?

• A. Quote or paraphrase from the text that directly supports the claim and explain how it supports it.
• B. Summarize the entire text without quotes.
• C. Ignore the text and give personal opinion.
• D. Use unrelated examples to illustrate points.

Answer: (A)

When you support a claim with textual evidence, you pull a specific part of the text that directly backs your point and explain how it supports it. That means you can use a direct quote or you can restate the idea in your own words (paraphrase), but you must clearly show the connection between the words you chose and the claim you’re making. The key is the link you explain after presenting the evidence—you describe exactly how that part of the text proves your point and why it matters.

For example, if your claim is that a character shows bravery, you would include a line from the text that shows them facing danger and then explain how that line demonstrates bravery. You’re grounding your claim in the text itself, not just giving your opinion.

The other approaches don’t fit because they don’t tie your claim to evidence from the text. Summarizing the whole text without quoting or paraphrasing a relevant part doesn’t show why your claim is true. Relying on personal opinion, with no textual evidence, or using unrelated examples to illustrate points, fails to connect back to what the text actually says.