Literary Analysis: Evaluate Informational Text
Academic Vocabulary

  • • evidence (e-vu-dents) noun Evidence can be beliefs, proof, facts, or details that help support a conclusion.

How Do Writers Support Conclusions? We hear and read conclusions every day. For example: This is the slowest bus in town! If you read this in the newspaper, you would probably think the writer is just frustrated.

But what if you read this?: I spent the entire month of April riding and timing every bus in town. The Main Street bus was always late by at least 15 minutes. This is a conclusion supported with evidence.

What Makes Evidence Strong? Conclusions are most believable and effective when they are supported by evidence that is adequate and appropriate.

Not Ok

The buses are probably always late, and I’m guessing that the downtown bus is the latest.

If there is not enough evidence or it is weak or incorrect, it is not adequate.

Not Ok

Someone needs to clean up the bus stops!

If the evidence is not on topic, it is not appropriate.

Practice Together

Identify Conclusions and Evaluate Evidence When you read an informational article, such as a history article, identify the writer’s conclusions. Then record the evidence that supports those conclusions on an Evidence Chart. Decide if the evidence is adequate and appropriate. Does the evidence support the writer’s conclusion?

Evidence Chart
ConclusionEvidenceEvaluation
Thurgood Marshall did more than any other person to win civil rights for African Americans.He argued 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and won 29 of them.The writer used facts as evidence. The conclusion is valid.
Services for African Americans and whites were not equal.

Try It!

Make an Evidence Chart In “The Civil Rights Movement,” the writer makes other conclusions. Make a chart like the one above, and find the evidence that supports the writer’s conclusion about unequal services. Is the evidence adequate and appropriate?