Biography writers provide evidence to support their conclusions about the people they write about. The reader’s task is to decide whether or not the evidence really supports the writer’s conclusions.
In “Martin’s Big Words,” the writer concludes that Martin believed in peaceful protests. The evidence below supports this conclusion because it tells how Martin studied the peaceful methods of protest used in India.
Practice Together
Use a T Chart This chart shows some conclusions the author makes in “Martin’s Big Words” and the evidence she provides. Discuss whether the quotation is enough to prove the writer’s conclusion.
| Conclusion | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Martin convinced others not to use violence. | Quotation: “Love is the key to the problems of the world.” |
| Martin went wherever people needed his help. |
Read the second conclusion. Find evidence in the biography, such as details or quotations, to support this conclusion. Then, write the evidence you find in a copy of the T Chart and evaluate it.
Try It!
Make a T Chart Make a T Chart for the “I Have a Dream” speech. Find two conclusions Dr. King makes in his speech, and write the evidence he provides to support them. Decide whether the evidence is accurate and really supports Dr. King’s conclusions.