Best DSAT Lessons - "Command of Evidence (Textual)"

A 2024 study in Physical Review Letters suggests that quantum entanglement may occur faster than light, contradicting Einstein's principle of locality. Researchers at CERN observed pairs of entangled photons responding to measurements 0.00003 seconds before the corresponding signal could reach them at light speed. While some physicists argue this could be experimental error, the team controlled for detector latency and electromagnetic interference. If confirmed, this finding would require revisions to quantum field theory, as it implies instantaneous causation across space. However, skeptics note that no known mechanism explains how particles could "communicate" faster than light without violating relativity.

Tasks:

1. Identify the main claim sentence in the passage.

2. Simplify the claim in your own words.

3. For each evidence, mark [S]upporting, [W]eakening, or [U]nrelated:
   ⬜️ a) A follow-up experiment at Fermilab reproduced the same faster-than-light response.
   ⬜️ b) Quantum cryptography devices show no signs of FTL information transfer.
   ⬜️ c) The uncertainty principle still holds in all tested scenarios.
   ⬜️ d) A software bug was found in CERN's timing system after publication.
   ⬜️ e) Entangled electrons in superconductors behave normally at light-speed limits.
   ⬜️ f) Astronomers detected no anomalies in distant quasars that rely on relativity.

Recently a study in Cultural Analytics argues that social media algorithms are reshaping collective memory by prioritizing viral content over historical accuracy. Researchers analyzed 10,000 trending posts about major 20th-century events (e.g., the fall of the Berlin Wall) and found that 62% contained oversimplified or distorted narratives. These posts received 3× more engagement than fact-checked sources, suggesting algorithms reward emotional appeal over precision. The study warns that when platforms amplify easily digestible but inaccurate stories, society risks losing nuanced understanding of the past. Some historians counter that oral traditions have always adapted history for storytelling-digital media merely accelerates this process.

Tasks:

1. Identify the main claim sentence in the passage.

2. Simplify the claim in your own words.

3. For each evidence, mark [S]upporting, [W]eakening, or [U]nrelated:
   ⬜️ a) Fact-checked articles about historical events rarely appear in "Top Stories" feeds.
   ⬜️ b) Users spend 40% less time reading long-form articles than memes about history.
   ⬜️ c) Schools using social media in history classes saw improved student engagement.
   ⬜️ d) AI-generated fake historical images went viral 80% faster than archival photos.
   ⬜️ e) People who primarily learn history from social media score lower on accuracy tests.
   ⬜️ f) The printing press similarly altered historical memory in the 15th century.

In dimly lit internet forums and encrypted messaging groups, a new wave of poets is choosing to remain nameless. These writers share their work under pseudonyms or no name at all, valuing raw expression over personal fame. Their poems appear suddenly-on image boards, in chatbot conversations, or as QR codes pasted on city walls-then vanish just as quickly. Some literary critics dismiss the trend as fleeting digital graffiti, while others see it as a return to poetry’s ancient roots, when verses traveled orally without fixed authorship. The poems themselves range from cryptic one-liners to sprawling digital epics, united only by their rejection of traditional publishing paths. A recent essay in The Poetry Review argues that this movement represents a quiet rebellion against the "cult of the author," where the work matters more than the creator's identity. Meanwhile, mainstream publishers scramble to sign these phantom poets, only to find that many refuse to step into the spotlight-even when offered lucrative deals.

Tasks:

1. Identify the main claim sentence in the passage.

2. Simplify the claim in your own words.

3. For each evidence, mark [S]upporting, [W]eakening, or [U]nrelated:
   ⬜️ a) A once-anonymous poet's identity was revealed, causing their work to lose its mystique.
   ⬜️ b) Medieval troubadours often performed without recording their names.
   ⬜️ c) Poetry sales have declined overall in the past five years.
   ⬜️ d) A university literature department created a course studying anonymous digital poetry.
   ⬜️ e) Some anonymous poets use their secrecy to spread harmful misinformation.
   ⬜️ f) A New York Times critic called anonymous poetry "the purest form of literary expression."

In recent years, young adult dystopian novels have surged in popularity because they seem to capture the struggles teenagers face every day. These stories feature protagonists fighting against crumbling systems that mirror social inequities, environmental hazards, and digital isolation. Unlike classic dystopias focused solely on tyrannical control, modern narratives highlight personal rebellion and resilience. One teen remarked in a radio interview, "These books feel like a mirror to the chaos we live." Critics also note that dystopian fiction offers a framework to understand and challenge real-world problems. Thus, the genre resonates with youth by reflecting a reality they know all too well.

Tasks:

1. Identify the main claim sentence in the passage.

2. Simplify the claim in your own words.

3. For each evidence, mark [S]upporting, [W]eakening, or [U]nrelated:
   ⬜️ a) In a late-night radio chat, one teen said, "Dystopian novels are a real reflection of the struggles we experience daily."
   ⬜️ b) Several parents argue that these novels simply glorify turmoil instead of offering genuine insights into real-life problems.
   ⬜️ c) Many young readers admitted that the themes of rebellion and imbalance in these books resonate with them.
   ⬜️ d) A New York Times critic observed that many dystopian novels reduce complex issues into dramatic, oversimplified narratives.
   ⬜️ e) At a school assembly, a student panel emphasized that these stories empower them by providing vocabulary for their frustrations.
   ⬜️ f) A well-known literary blogger commented that although dystopias capture an important zeitgeist, they sometimes romanticize instability.

Example 1

1. Main claim: "A 2024 study... suggests that quantum entanglement may occur faster than light, contradicting Einstein’s principle of locality."
2. Simplified claim: Quantum particles might influence each other instantly, faster than light allows.
3. Evidence Classification:
   • a) [S] Supports – Another lab got the same result, making the finding more credible.
   • b) [W] Weakens – If no FTL transfer exists in practical devices, the claim may be wrong.
   • c) [U] Unrelated – The uncertainty principle doesn’t address FTL communication.
   • d) [W] Weakens – A timing bug could explain the results as an error.
   • e) [W] Weakens – If electrons follow light-speed rules, maybe photons do too.
   • f) [U] Unrelated – Quasars test general relativity, not quantum entanglement speed.

Example 2

1. Main claim: "A 2023 study... argues that social media algorithms are reshaping collective memory by prioritizing viral content over historical accuracy."
2. Simplified claim: Social media favors viral, simplified history over accurate facts, changing how we remember the past.
3. Evidence Classification:
   • a) [S] Supports – Shows algorithms suppress accurate sources.
   • b) [S] Supports – Confirms users engage less with in-depth history.
   • c) [U] Unrelated – Focuses on education, not algorithmic bias.
   • d) [S] Supports – Fake content spreads faster, reinforcing the claim.
   • e) [W] Weakens – Suggests social media harms historical knowledge. (Note: Weakens the counterargument that adaptation is neutral.)
   • f) [U] Unrelated – Historical comparison doesn’t address modern algorithms.

Example 3

1. Main claim: "A recent essay in The Poetry Review argues that this movement represents a quiet rebellion against the 'cult of the author,' where the work matters more than the creator’s identity."
2. Simplified claim: Anonymous online poetry challenges the idea that an author’s identity is essential to their work.
3. Evidence Classification:
   • a) [S] Supports – Shows how revealing identity can diminish the work’s impact.
   • b) [S] Supports – Connects the trend to historical traditions of unnamed art.
   • c) [U] Unrelated – General sales trends don’t address anonymity’s role.
   • d) [W] Weakens – Institutional recognition could undermine the "rebellion" aspect.
   • e) [U] Unrelated – Misinformation is a separate ethical issue.
   • f) [S] Supports – A respected critic’s praise lends credibility to the movement.

Example 4

1. Main claim: "Modern young adult dystopian novels resonate with teenagers because they reflect the everyday struggles and systemic issues that youth experience."
2. Simplified claim: Contemporary dystopian fiction strikes a chord with teens by mirroring the personal and societal challenges they face.
3. Evidence Classification:
   • a) [S] Supports – This teen's comment directly reinforces that the novels mirror the daily struggles teens face.
   • b) [W] Weakens – This challenges the claim by suggesting the novels may exaggerate turmoil instead of truly reflecting real life.
   • c) [S] Supports – Highlights a personal connection, backing the claim of resonance.
   • d) [U] Unrelated – This focuses on literary oversimplification and does not address whether the novels resonate with teenagers.
   • e) [S] Supports – The student panel's discussion on empowerment affirms that the novels provide a meaningful language for addressing personal struggles, aligning with the claim.
   • f) [W] Weakens – This suggests a potential misalignment with the claim that they accurately reflect teen challenges.

Recent neurological research at Stanford University has produced compelling evidence that bilingual individuals develop Alzheimer's symptoms 4-5 years later than monolinguals on average. The study followed 600 elderly participants for a decade, controlling for education and socioeconomic status. Brain scans revealed that bilingual subjects maintained greater gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex, a region associated with executive function. Researchers theorize that constantly switching between languages strengthens cognitive reserve, creating a "neuroprotective buffer" against degenerative diseases. This builds on previous findings about the cognitive benefits of multilingualism across the lifespan.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the claim?

A). Bilingual children scored 15% higher on standardized tests
B). Monolingual participants who did crossword puzzles showed similar delays
C). Bilinguals in the study had 30% more neural connections in language centers
D). Some participants forgot which language they were speaking during testing

Rationale:
Correct Answer: C
Main claim: Bilingualism delays Alzheimer's symptoms by 4-5 years through enhanced cognitive reserve, as demonstrated by greater prefrontal cortex gray matter density in bilingual individuals.

• Option C directly supports this claim by showing physical evidence of the neuroprotective effect.
• Option A discusses unrelated childhood academic performance
• Option B introduces an alternative explanation (crossword puzzles)
• Option D presents contradictory evidence that weakens the claim

In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, the motif of flight symbolizes both liberation and the fraught legacy of African American history. The novel opens with an insurance agent's failed attempt to fly from a rooftop, an event that haunts the protagonist, Milkman Dead. Later, the legend of Solomon-an enslaved ancestor who supposedly flew back to Africa—reveals the dual nature of this symbol: escape can mean freedom, but it also abandons those left behind. Morrison uses flight imagery to explore themes of inheritance, identity, and the cost of self-discovery across generations.

Which quotation most effectively illustrates the claim?

A). "He just stood there with the plane ticket in his hand, staring at the address."
B). "If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it."
C). "Names they got from yearnings, gestures, flaws, events, mistakes."
D). "She was the third beer. Not the first one, which the throat receives with almost tearful gratitude; nor the second, that confirms and extends the pleasure of the first."

Rationale:
Correct Answer: B
Main claim: Flight in Song of Solomon symbolizes both liberation and abandonment, representing African American identity struggles and the paradoxical nature of freedom.

• Option B best illustrates this claim by capturing the dual nature of flight as both freeing and requiring surrender.
• Option A mentions flight literally but without symbolism
• Option C discusses naming conventions instead
• Option D describes emotional states unrelated to the flight motif

A comprehensive 2022 meta-analysis of 75 studies across 15 countries asserts that remote work permanently increases productivity by 12-18%. The research accounted for industry variations, measuring output through both quantitative metrics (code commits, reports generated) and managerial assessments. Key findings showed that reduced commute times and flexible scheduling allowed knowledge workers to achieve more focused "deep work" periods. The study concludes that office mandates could actually harm organizational performance, especially in tech and creative fields where uninterrupted concentration is valuable.

Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the underlined claim?

A). 68% of employees reported better work-life balance when remote
B). New hires trained remotely were 25% less proficient after six months
C). Some managers struggled to adapt their leadership styles
D). Home internet speeds varied significantly by neighborhood

Rationale:
Correct Answer: B
Main claim: Remote work increases productivity by 12-18% by enabling focused deep work through eliminated commutes and flexible scheduling.

• Option B most directly weakens this claim by showing a significant drawback that could negate productivity gains.
• Option A supports remote work benefits
• Option C addresses management adaptation
• Option D cites infrastructure issues irrelevant to productivity

Modern historians increasingly challenge the traditional "Great Man" theory of history, which attributes societal changes primarily to influential leaders. Examination of the Industrial Revolution reveals that technological innovations like the spinning jenny and steam engine developed through countless incremental improvements by anonymous artisans and engineers, not singular geniuses. Similarly, analysis of civil rights progress shows how grassroots organizing and economic shifts created conditions where leadership could be effective. This paradigm shift emphasizes systemic forces over individual agency, arguing that even figures like Napoleon or Martin Luther King Jr. emerged from ripe historical circumstances rather than creating change ex nihilo.

Which finding, if true, would most directly challenge the underlined claim?

A). Without Churchill's leadership, Britain might have surrendered in 1940
B). Several key inventions were simultaneously developed by multiple people
C). Patent records show many improvements came from factory workers
D). Social movements often lacked clear structure before charismatic leaders emerged

Rationale:
Correct Answer: A
Figure out the main claim: Systemic historical forces (not just "Great Men") drive societal change.

• Option B directly challenges this claim by presenting a counterexample where an individual leader (Churchill) decisively altered history.
• Option A and C support the systemic view (collaborative inventions/worker contributions).
• Option D is vague about leadership's role.

A 2023 study in Science Advances discovered that over 75% of deep-sea corals use biofluorescence-glowing in vivid blues and greens-as a sophisticated form of interspecies communication. Using spectral imaging at 30-meter depths, researchers found corals increased their glow intensity when predatory fish approached, warning nearby shrimp and crabs to hide. Control experiments with non-fluorescent corals showed 60% higher predation rates in symbiotic species. This challenges the long-held assumption that biofluorescence serves only camouflage, suggesting instead that it functions as an underwater "alarm system." The findings could reshape conservation strategies by emphasizing the importance of preserving light-pollution-free zones for marine ecosystems.

Which observation, if true, would most strongly support the communication hypothesis?

A). Predatory fish lacked photoreceptors to detect the fluorescent signals
B). Deep-sea currents occasionally dispersed glowing mucus particles
C). Fluorescent patterns varied significantly between coral colonies
D). Shrimp hid 3x faster near artificially illuminated corals versus dark ones

Rationale:
Correct Answer: D
Main claim: Biofluorescence in corals functions as an interspecies warning system, not just camouflage.

• Option D demonstrates a behavioral response (shrimp hiding) directly tied to fluorescence, proving its communicative role.
• Option A weakens the claim (if fish can't see signals, communication fails).
• Option B introduces an unrelated environmental factor.
• Option C suggests individuality, not communication.

Difficulty level: Easy

For years, Christopher Clavius's 1593 work Astrolabium had the earliest known evidence of a decimal point, which was in a sine table's interpolation column. However, math historian Glen Van Brummelen posited that Venetian merchant Giovanni Bianchini, who worked as an astrological consultant, used the mathematical symbol approximately 150 years before Clavius did. Van Brummelen asserts that in his role as a consultant, Bianchini used trigonometry to calculate the coordinates of the planets, and these calculations contain the earliest example of the decimal point.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the underlined claim?

A). Several dots appear in both Clavius's Astrolabium and Bianchini's Flores Almagesti, but the dot was commonly used in manuscripts in the 1400s and 1500s as a means to separate letters or whole numbers from each other.

B). In Clavius's Astrolabium, he gives several examples of both interpolation and inverse interpolation using decimal numbers and justifies the method to his readers by equating 45.7 with "457 tenths."

C). In a table in Bianchini's astronomical Latin manuscript from the 1440s, Tabulae primi mobilis B, a dot appears between two numbers in a context that suggests the value is not a whole number.

D). As recorded in his manuscripts, some of Bianchini's calculations for the coordinates of the planets are inaccurate due to the use of whole numbers rather than non-whole-number decimals.

Difficulty level: Medium

For its 2022 exhibition Guarding the Art, the Baltimore Museum of Art cast the security personnel typically responsible for safeguarding the institution's collections as the curators, whose individual selections from the museum's holdings culminated in a show amplifying a distinct perspective not typically given a formal platform.

Which quote from one of the personnel who curated the exhibition would best support the underlined claim?

A). "The most enjoyable part of curating this show has been seeing the outcome of our efforts: a unique show that spans genres, mediums, cultures, and eras. We hope visitors will sense our genuine affinity for the pieces we are charged with protecting."

B). "My selections for the show were motivated by an interest in bringing publicity to lesser-known artifacts in the museum's collection, many of which tend to be overlooked or even dismissed as uninteresting by most visitors to the museum."

C). "The piece I chose is accompanied by a statement of the personal interpretation I've developed over countless hours overseeing the work and interacting with its visitors-an interpretation that I've previously shared only in small impromptu conversations with those visitors who are interested in discussing their reflections on the piece with me."

D). "Throughout the exhibition's development, my colleagues and I partnered closely with other museum staff whose areas of expertise lie in curation and conservation, and whose insights enriched our understandings of the pieces we selected for the exhibition."

Difficulty level: Hard

Born in Chile in 1917, artist and ethnomusicologist Violeta Parra was a pioneer in the nueva canción chilena (Chilean New Song) movement that emerged in the late 1950s and then spread throughout Latin America, Portugal, and Spain as nueva canción. Parra traveled all over Chile compiling extensive records of authentic folk music as well as recipes, proverbs, and other facets of cultural history. These records formed the foundation for the early movement's revival of traditional Chilean folk forms in new songs that represented modern realities of the working class and strongly advocated for social change. As the movement spread beyond Chile, the breadth of musical traditions incorporated into its foundation also expanded.

Which detail about songs associated with nueva canción, if true, would best illustrate the underlined claim?

A). Many feature political commentary addressing contemporary issues that stemmed from shared experiences of European colonization in Latin American countries.

B). Many demonstrate the stylistic influence of corrido, a genre of narrative songs from Mexico that had come to be characterized by political themes in the early 1800s.

C). Many were written with parts meant to be played on the quena, a traditional flute used across Andean countries, including Chile.

D). Many were produced by Argentinian artists in the late 1950s, with others by artists in additional Latin American countries first emerging soon after.