Command of Evidence: Textual

SAT Reading and Writing· difficulty 4/5

Psychologist Dr. Cho claims that perceived control — the belief that one can influence one's environment — affects health more powerfully than actual control does, contradicting the assumption that real-world autonomy is what matters.

Which finding, if true, would most strongly support Dr. Cho's claim?

  • A

    Perceived control declines with age in many populations.

  • B

    People with greater real-world autonomy generally report better health than those with less.

  • C

    Some health outcomes are influenced by genetic factors.

  • D

    Nursing home residents who were given a sense of control over a small daily decision lived longer than residents with the same actual responsibilities but no such framing.

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Explanation

A holds actual responsibilities constant and varies only the perception of control, isolating perception's effect, exactly as Cho predicts. B is consistent with the assumption Cho is challenging; C and D are tangential.

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