Text Evidence

Text evidence means using exact words or details from a passage to support your answer — letting the text do the talking for you.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Text evidence as an interactive lesson.

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Definition

Text evidence is information you find directly inside a reading passage that proves or supports your answer to a question. Instead of guessing or using only what you already know, you go back into the text, find the specific words or sentences that back up your thinking, and use them in your response. Good readers always show WHERE in the text their answer comes from.

Remember the rule

CEE: Make a Claim, give Evidence from the text, then Explain how the evidence proves your claim.

Key words

Text evidence: Words, phrases, or sentences copied or paraphrased from a passage that prove your answer is correct.
Quote: The exact words from the text, placed inside quotation marks, used to support your answer.
Paraphrase: Putting the author's words into your own words while keeping the same meaning.
Cite: To point to a specific place in the text — like a line or paragraph — that supports your answer.
Inference: A smart guess you make by combining what the text says with what you already know.
Relevant: Connected to the question — relevant evidence is evidence that actually helps answer what was asked.
Passage: The reading selection — the article, story, or poem — you use to find your evidence.
Response: Your written answer to a reading question, which should always include text evidence.

Worked examples

The question asks: 'How does Maya feel when she loses her dog?' The passage says: 'Maya sat on the porch steps, tears streaming down her face, calling Biscuit's name over and over.' What is a strong text-evidence answer?

→ Maya feels very sad and worried. The text says, 'Maya sat on the porch steps, tears streaming down her face, calling Biscuit's name over and over.' This shows she is crying and desperately searching, which proves she is upset about losing her dog. · The student quoted exact words, then explained why those words answer the question.

The question asks: 'What is one way penguins stay warm?' The passage says: 'Penguins huddle together in large groups to share body heat and block the icy wind.' What is a strong text-evidence answer?

→ One way penguins stay warm is by huddling together. According to the text, 'Penguins huddle together in large groups to share body heat and block the icy wind.' This directly tells us huddling is how they keep from freezing. · Even for nonfiction, you still quote the text instead of just saying what you remember.

A student writes: 'Marcus is brave because brave people don't give up.' Is this good text evidence?

→ No. This answer uses only the student's opinion — there are no words from the passage. A better answer would find a sentence in the text showing Marcus doing something courageous and quote it directly. · Evidence must come FROM the text, not from your own ideas alone.

The question asks: 'Why did the town build a new library?' The passage says: 'The old library had flooded twice, and the shelves were rotting. The town council voted to build a modern building that could hold twice as many books.' What is a strong paraphrased-evidence answer?

→ The town built a new library because the old one was damaged by flooding and could not hold enough books. The passage explains that the old building had flooded twice and the shelves were rotting, so the council decided a bigger, modern library was needed. · Paraphrasing is fine as long as you are accurately reflecting what the text actually says.

The question asks: 'Is the main character responsible?' The passage says: 'Every morning before school, Dani fed the chickens, collected the eggs, and made sure the water bucket was full — without being asked.' Write a CEE response.

→ Claim: Dani is very responsible. Evidence: The text states, 'Every morning before school, Dani fed the chickens, collected the eggs, and made sure the water bucket was full — without being asked.' Explain: Doing all these chores every day without anyone telling her to shows that Dani takes her duties seriously on her own. · Following the CEE formula keeps your answer organized and complete.

Common mistakes

Copying too much of the passage without explaining how it answers the question — always add an explanation after your quote.
Using only personal opinion and forgetting to include any words from the text.
Picking evidence that is interesting but not relevant — make sure your quote actually answers the specific question asked.
Forgetting quotation marks around exact words taken from the text.
Changing the meaning of the text while paraphrasing — paraphrase carefully so the evidence still says what the author meant.

FAQs

Do I always have to use the exact words from the text, or can I put it in my own words?

You can do either. Quoting means you copy the exact words and put them in quotation marks. Paraphrasing means you rewrite the idea in your own words. Both count as text evidence as long as you are accurately representing what the passage says.

How much of the text should I quote?

Quote only the part that directly answers the question — usually one or two sentences is enough. You do not need to copy a whole paragraph. Pick the most important words and leave the rest out.

What if the answer is not stated directly in the text?

Sometimes you have to make an inference — combining clues from the text with what you know. When you do this, still quote the clues from the text and then explain the conclusion you drew from them.

How do I start a sentence when I use text evidence?

Use a signal phrase like: 'The text says...,' 'According to the passage...,' 'The author states...,' or 'In paragraph two, it says...' These phrases let your reader know evidence is coming.

What if two students pick different sentences as evidence? Who is right?

Both can be right if both sentences genuinely support the answer. There is often more than one piece of good evidence in a passage. What matters is that the evidence you choose actually answers the question asked.

Why does my teacher want text evidence instead of just my answer?

Text evidence proves your answer is based on reading carefully, not guessing. It shows your teacher that you understood the passage and can back up your thinking — just like a lawyer uses facts to prove a case in court.

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