Command of literary evidence v2

Summary

The video script is an educational guide on tackling command of textual evidence questions, particularly in literature. It uses James Weldon Johnson's poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' as an example. The instructor explains the need to identify the central claim and create a test phrase to find the best supporting evidence from the text. The guide walks through each choice, illustrating how to select the option that most effectively supports the claim of an ongoing cycle of anticipation followed by regretful reflection.

Takeaways

• 📚 The poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' by James Weldon Johnson describes a cycle of anticipation followed by regret.
• 🧩 The question type is about providing textual evidence to support a claim made about a text.
• 🔍 Identify the central claim in the question and create a test phrase by restating it in your own words.
• 🚀 The claim in this example is the cycle of anticipation and regret, symbolized by 'smiley face' for looking forward and 'sad face' for looking back.
• 📝 The strategy involves scanning the choices to find the one that matches the test phrase.
• 🎯 Choice B 'And so the years go swiftly by...' was identified as the best match for the claim, illustrating both anticipation and regret.
• ❌ Choices that do not directly support the claim or introduce new ideas should be eliminated.
• 🔎 Be specific and strict in selecting the answer; it should directly and strongly support the claim without being vague or partial.
• 📈 The instructor emphasizes the importance of being able to restate the claim to gain control of the idea and apply it to the choices.
• 📝 The process of answering such questions is likened to writing an essay, where you pull a quote from the text to support your argument.
• 💡 The instructor provides top tips for these types of questions, including being specific and strict in choosing the correct evidence.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the question being discussed in the transcript?

The main focus is to identify a quotation from the poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' that illustrates the ongoing cycle of anticipation followed by regretful reflection.

What is the poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' about according to the transcript?

The poem is about experiencing an ongoing cycle of anticipation followed by regretful reflection.

Who is the author of 'Ghosts of the Old Year' mentioned in the transcript?

The author of 'Ghosts of the Old Year' is James Weldon Johnson.

What type of question is being discussed in the transcript?

The question is a command of textual evidence question, which requires backing up an argument with evidence from a text.

What strategy is suggested for answering questions that introduce a central claim or argument?

The strategy suggested is to identify the claim, create a test phrase by restating the claim in your own words, and then test it against the choices to find the best match.

Why is it important to create a test phrase when answering these types of questions?

Creating a test phrase gives control of the idea and allows you to see it restated differently, making it easier to identify the best supporting evidence among the choices.

What does the instructor mean by 'be specific' when answering questions about a text?

Being specific means looking for an answer choice that supports the claim in the question and nothing more or less, eliminating any choices that introduce new ideas.

What does the instructor mean by 'be strict' when selecting the correct answer choice?

Being strict means that any choice that feels like it's almost evidence for the claim is too weak to be the answer. The correct choice should directly and strongly support the claim.

Which choice did the instructor select as the answer in the example question?

The instructor selected Choice B as the answer because it supports both the anticipation and regret parts of the claim.

What is the importance of understanding the claim before looking at the choices?

Understanding the claim is crucial because it guides the search for the best evidence and helps in eliminating choices that do not align with the claim.

How does the instructor suggest approaching questions about literature passages?

The instructor suggests approaching literature passage questions by thinking like you're writing an essay, pulling a quote from the text to support your argument.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Analyzing Textual Evidence

The instructor introduces a question about the poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' by James Weldon Johnson, focusing on identifying a quotation that illustrates a cycle of anticipation followed by regretful reflection. The instructor explains that this is a textual evidence question, where the claim is provided and the task is to find supporting evidence from the text. The strategy involves identifying the claim, creating a test phrase by restating the claim, and then matching this phrase with the options provided. The instructor guides through the process using the example question, eliminating options that do not fit the test phrase, and selecting the one that best supports both parts of the claim.

05:02

🎯 Tips for Textual Evidence Questions

The instructor provides top tips for answering textual evidence questions. The first tip is to be specific, ensuring the answer choice directly supports the claim without introducing new ideas. The second tip is to be strict, rejecting any choice that is only partially correct or feels like it almost supports the claim. The instructor reinforces the importance of selecting an answer that fully supports the claim, using the previous question as an example where the correct choice directly and strongly supported the idea of anticipation and regret at the coming of a new year.

Keywords

💡Ghosts of the Old Year

This is the title of the poem by James Weldon Johnson that the video script discusses. It symbolizes the lingering feelings and experiences from the past year that influence one's present. The poem is used as an example to teach how to answer a specific type of question that requires textual evidence. The title itself suggests a reflective and possibly regretful look back at the year that has passed.

💡Anticipation

Anticipation, in the context of the video, refers to the feeling of expectation or excitement about future events. It is part of the central claim of the poem, which describes a cycle of anticipation followed by regret. The instructor uses the phrase 'looking forward, smiley face' to simplify this concept in creating a test phrase for identifying the correct evidence from the poem.

💡Regretful reflection

Regretful reflection is the act of looking back on past actions or events with a sense of sadness or disappointment. It is the second part of the cycle described in the poem's claim and is represented by the 'looking backward, sad face' in the instructor's simplified test phrase. It is used to illustrate the emotional contrast to anticipation.

💡Claim

In the context of the video, a claim is a statement or proposition that is put forward as a basis for an argument. The instructor emphasizes that the first task is to identify the claim in the question, which in this case is the cycle of anticipation and regretful reflection described in the poem.

💡Textual evidence question

This term refers to a type of question that requires supporting an argument with evidence from a text. The video script uses this concept to guide viewers on how to approach such questions, explaining that the claim is given and one must find the evidence from the text that supports it.

💡Test phrase

A test phrase is a restatement of the claim in one's own words, used as a tool to help identify the correct answer choice. The instructor advises creating a short and simple test phrase to match against the answer choices, exemplified by 'anticipation, then regret'.

💡Choice A

This refers to one of the answer choices provided in the script for the example question. The instructor analyzes Choice A, discussing why it does not effectively support the claim of anticipation followed by regretful reflection, as it lacks explicit regret.

💡Choice B

Choice B is the correct answer identified in the script. It contains the诗句 'Each coming, brings ambitions high' and 'each departing leaves a sigh, Linked to the past,' which directly supports the claim of looking forward with anticipation and looking back with regret.

💡Choice C

Choice C is one of the answer choices that the instructor dismisses because it mentions fear, which might be a type of anticipation but not the happy kind, and it lacks any element of looking backward.

💡Choice D

Choice D is also dismissed because, although it reflects on past regrets, it lacks the element of anticipation that is necessary to fully support the claim about the cycle described in the poem.

💡Top tips

These are the advice or strategies given by the instructor for answering textual evidence questions effectively. The tips include being specific and strict in choosing the answer that directly supports the claim without introducing new ideas.

Highlights

The poem 'Ghosts of the Old Year' by James Weldon Johnson explores a cycle of anticipation and regret.

The speaker in the poem experiences ongoing cycles of looking forward and reflecting with regret.

The question asks to find a quotation that illustrates the claim of anticipation followed by regret.

This is a command of textual evidence question, requiring support for an argument with text evidence.

The question provides all necessary context, making prior knowledge of the text or author irrelevant.

The question may involve a scientific experiment or a work of literature.

For literature passages, the question asks to think like writing an essay, pulling a quote to support an argument.

The central claim or argument in the question is clearly stated and should be identified first.

Create a test phrase by restating the claim in your own words to gain control of the idea.

The test phrase should be as short and straightforward as possible.

Test the test phrase against the choices to find the one that matches it.

Choice B effectively supports both the anticipation and regret parts of the claim.

Top tip: Be specific and look for an answer choice that supports the claim step.

Top tip: Be strict and avoid choices that feel almost right but are too weak to be the answer.

The correct choice directly and strongly supports the claim without introducing new ideas.

The answer must fully support the claim, not just partially.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] Let's give this question a try.

"Ghosts of the Old Year" is an early 1900s poem

by James Weldon Johnson.

In the poem, the speaker describes experiencing

an ongoing cycle of anticipation

followed by regretful reflection: blank.

Which quotation from "Ghosts of the Old Year"

most effectively illustrates the claim?

Okay, if you'd like to give this one a try on your own

before I teach you some specific strategies

for this question type,

please feel free to pause the video now.

Cool, let's move on together.

Now we are asked to effectively illustrate a claim,

that is, we're being asked to back up an argument

with evidence from a text.

And that means that this is, say it with me,

a command of textual evidence question, very good.

Okay, so these questions introduce a claim about a text.

Your job is to identify that claim, that argument,

and find the evidence that most strongly supports it.

It's not a text that you need to be familiar with.

The question contains all the context that you need.

So you may or may not know who James Weldon Johnson is,

but any preexisting knowledge here

isn't relevant or necessary.

You'll encounter a couple of these on test day.

The texts that these questions ask about

might discuss a scientific experiment

or, like this question,

they may ask you about a work of literature,

like a novel or a poem.

Questions that focus on literature passages

ask you to think like you're writing an essay

for English class and you wanna pull a quote

from the text to support your argument.

In this case, though, they give us the argument

and our job is to find the best support.

Let's talk strategy real quick

and then we'll return to the question

and put that strategy into practice.

The question will introduce a central claim or argument

and it'll be stated very clearly,

so you won't have to go digging for it,

but that's your first job,

identify the claim.

Once you do that, create a test phrase

by restating that claim in your own words.

Doing this will give you control of the idea

and allow you to see it restated differently.

Ideally, this test phrase will be

as short and sweet as possible.

Once you've got your own words version of the claim,

test it against the choices.

Whichever choice matches your test phrase

will be the answer.

Let's put this into practice with our example question.

So we're looking for an ongoing cycle of anticipation

followed by regretful reflection.

There's just not a lot of other text to look at here.

This is the claim that we need to find support for.

It's the only sentence in the question

that isn't just a straightforward description

of what the poem is,

so let me just take that and restate it very simply.

Looking forward, smiley face,

looking backward, sad face, anticipation, then regret,

that's our test phrase.

Simple, straightforward, gets the job done,

I don't even have to use letters.

Now, let's take that test phrase to the choices.

Looking forward, smiley face, looking backwards, sad face.

Okay, choice A.

"The snow has ceased its fluttering flight,

"The wind sunk to a whisper light,

"An ominous stillness fills the night,

"A pause, a hush."

There might be a sense of looking forward here.

Everything's quiet and still

as if something might be about to happen,

but that's not explicit

and there's no regret, no sad face,

no sense of looking back.

I don't think this one's it.

Choice B.

"And so the years go swiftly by,

"Each coming, brings ambitions high,

"And each departing leaves a sigh

"Linked to the past."

Okay, so we've got ambitions high,

which is our sense of looking forward,

but we've also got each departing leaves a sigh

linked to the past, which feels very much to me

like bummed about last year or looking backwards, sad face.

I think this is our answer.

On test day, I'd select it and move on,

but let's make sure there's not

one stronger option lurking somewhere in the choices.

I feel pretty good about this one, though.

Choice C.

"What does this brazen tongue declare,

"That falling on the midnight air

"Brings to my heart a sense of care

"Akin to fright?"

This one mentions fear,

which might be a type of anticipation,

but not the happy kind.

And I don't see any looking backward at all.

Not it.

Choice D.

"It tells of many a squandered day,

"Of slighted gems and treasured clay,

"Of precious stores not laid away,

"Of fields unreaped."

This is definitely backward looking regret, right,

fields unreaped, a harvest not realized, right,

but no forward looking anticipation,

so this is not it either.

So B is our answer.

It supports both the looking forward

excitement part of the claim

and the looking backward regret part.

Now let's talk through a couple of top tips

for questions like these.

Top tip number one, be specific.

You are looking for an answer choice

that supports the claim in the question step,

nothing more, nothing less.

So any choices that introduce a new idea can be eliminated.

We don't need evidence for anything else.

Top tip number two, be strict.

Anything that feels like it's almost evidence for the claim

is going to be too weak to be the answer

For example, the correct choice

in the question we just discussed

very directly and strongly supports the claim.

It was the only choice that both

explored the ideas of anticipation and regret

at the coming of a new year.

Some of the choices in the question

were about just regret or just anticipation.

The answer needs to be all right, not just partly right.

Good luck out there, test takers.

You've got this.