Evidence can be checked or pictured, while a repeated assertion only rewords the claim. A quick test: if you delete the sentence and lose no new information, it was repetition.
This lesson belongs to Chinese argument and synthesis. It builds on a defensible position with limits, because a narrow claim is what evidence can support.
What is the deletion test?
Read each sentence and ask: if I delete this, what new fact, scene or figure disappears?
- Nothing disappears: the sentence repeated the claim.
- A figure or scene disappears: the sentence was evidence.
Evidence usually contains a number, a person, a place or a comparison.
Worked example: a paragraph on sleep
Claim: 睡眠不足会影响学生的成绩。
Weak paragraph: 睡眠不足对学生很不好。睡得少会让学习变差。所以睡眠非常重要。没有足够的睡眠，成绩一定会受影响。
Every sentence repeats the claim. Delete any three and you lose nothing.
An invented class count of 40 students gives the evidence below.
| Group | Students | Above class average on Monday test |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep 7 hours or more | 16 | 12 |
| Sleep less than 7 hours | 24 | 6 |
Repaired paragraph: 在一个四十人的班级统计中，每晚睡眠少于七小时的二十四名同学里，只有六人在星期一的测验中超过班级均分，也就是四分之一。相比之下，睡眠达七小时的十六名同学中，有十二人超过班级均分，占四分之三。这说明睡眠不足的同学更不容易取得好成绩。
Check the numbers: 16 + 24 = 40. 6 ÷ 24 = 25%, which is one quarter. 12 ÷ 16 = 75%, which is three quarters. The figures are invented for this example and are not real statistics.
The final sentence ties the evidence back to the claim once, which is where the claim belongs.
The mistake that costs marks
The slip is to use words that sound like evidence without containing any.
| Sentence | Verdict |
|---|---|
| 大家都知道睡眠很重要。 | Assertion: no person or figure. |
| 专家说睡眠不足有害。 | Assertion unless a real source and figure are given. |
| 二十四名睡眠少于七小时的同学中，六人超过班级均分。 | Evidence: a group, a figure and a result. |
Check yourself
Claim: 经常迟到会影响学习。Mark each sentence as evidence or assertion, and explain. (a) 迟到对学习很不好。 (b) 阿华每周迟到三次，每次错过十分钟，一个月就错过了一百二十分钟的课。
Answer
(a) Assertion: it repeats the claim in other words, and deleting it loses nothing.
(b) Evidence: a person (阿华), a frequency (每周三次), a detail (十分钟) and a result. The arithmetic: 3 × 10 = 30 minutes a week, and over four weeks, 4 × 30 = 120 minutes, which matches the sentence.
What to study next
An argument can draw on more than one source. Continue with combining overlapping source points. Check your own paragraphs with the claim-evidence revision desk, and compare figure sets with the graph evidence comparison lab.
For a teacher to read your paragraphs, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.