9

Set 1: Command of Evidence

Explanation

Answer: B

PASSAGE

A psychological study suggests that people who take handwritten notes retain information better than those who type notes. The researchers propose that the slower process of writing forces the brain to process and summarize information, rather than just transcribing it verbatim.

Which finding would best support the researchers' proposed explanation?

A. Typists can write twice as many words per minute as hand-writers.
B. Hand-writers' notes contained more paraphrasing and fewer direct quotes than typists' notes.✓ Correct
C. Both groups scored equally well on a test given immediately after the lecture.
D. Students prefer typing because it is physically less tiring.

Detailed Explanation

The researchers' explanation is that writing forces *processing and summarizing*. If hand-writers used more *paraphrasing* (summarizing) and fewer *direct quotes* (transcribing), this directly supports the mechanism they proposed.

Key Evidence:

• "forces the brain to process and summarize"

• "rather than just transcribing"

Why others are wrong: A (This explains why typing is faster, but supports the 'transcribing' idea, not retention.), C (Equal scores would weaken the claim that handwriting is *better*.), D (Irrelevant to information retention.).

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