Evidence is a detail from the passage that makes the inference believable. A keyword that also appears in the question does not do that work unless the sentence shows the trait through an action, words or result.
This lesson belongs to evidence-led Chinese reading. For the wider skill of writing the full answer, see supporting an inference with text evidence.
What makes evidence count?
Test each candidate sentence with one question: if I had never read the claim, would this sentence alone lead me to it? If the answer is no, it is probably a restatement or a different point.
Evidence that works is usually an action, a spoken line or a result. A label such as “很有同情心” only gives someone’s conclusion.
Worked example: three candidates
“街坊都说阿华很有同情心。这几年他每天清晨五点起床送报纸，赚来的钱一半交给母亲。去年水灾，他把刚领到的奖学金全部送给了受灾的邻居。”
Inference to prove: 阿华是个有同情心的人。
| Candidate sentence | Does it prove compassion? |
|---|---|
| “街坊都说阿华很有同情心。” | No. It shares the keyword but only repeats the claim as an opinion. |
| “每天清晨五点起床送报纸。” | Not for this claim. It shows diligence, so it fits a different inference. |
| “把刚领到的奖学金全部送给了受灾的邻居。” | Yes. Giving up his own money to help people in trouble is compassion in action. |
A model answer: “从‘把刚领到的奖学金全部送给了受灾的邻居’可以看出阿华有同情心，因为他愿意放弃自己的奖学金去帮助遇到水灾的人。”
Notice the answer quotes the sentence, then links it to the trait with “因为”. That link is the part many students leave out.
The mistake that costs marks
The common slip is choosing the sentence that looks most like the question. The student finds “同情心”, writes the街坊 sentence, and stops.
The repair has three steps.
- Write the inference in your own words.
- Mark every sentence that shows an action or result connected to it.
- Choose the one whose action would convince a stranger, and explain the link.
The same passage also supports “阿华很勤劳”. In that case the five o’clock paper round becomes the best evidence, and the scholarship sentence moves to second place. The inference in the question is what decides.
Check yourself
“小雯总是最后一个离开课室。那天放学，天空下着小雨，她把同学忘记带走的雨伞挂在门边，又回头把黑板擦干净。”
Inference: 小雯很体贴同学。Which of these best supports it?
- (a) 小雯总是最后一个离开课室。
- (b) 她把同学忘记带走的雨伞挂在门边。
- (c) 天空下着小雨。
Answer
The answer is (b). Hanging the forgotten umbrella by the door is an action done for a classmate, so it shows consideration.
(a) only gives a habit about time. (c) shares the word “雨” with the umbrella but describes the weather, so it shares a keyword without proving anything about her. A model answer: “从‘把同学忘记带走的雨伞挂在门边’可以看出小雯体贴同学，因为她为别人留意了东西。”
What to study next
The next lesson moves from one text to two voices: comparing two views without adding an unsupported interpretation. Use the claim evidence and explanation revision desk to rewrite any answer where your quote only repeated the claim.
To test your chosen quotations with a teacher, see online one-to-one Chinese tuition.