Question 116·Medium·Command of Evidence
“Bound for the Promised Land” is a 2020 historical article about Harriet Tubman. In the article, the author asserts that Tubman’s success on the Underground Railroad was rooted in her meticulous planning and deep knowledge of the landscape.
Which quotation from the article best supports this claim?
For command-of-evidence quote questions, first restate the claim in your own words and underline its key ideas (for example, “careful planning” and “knowledge of the landscape”). Then check each option and ask whether it provides direct evidence of those ideas (methods and causes), not just related facts like outcomes, reputation, or later memories. Choose the quotation that most concretely matches all parts of the claim.
Hints
Underline the key parts of the claim
In the claim, focus on the words that tell you why Tubman was successful: "meticulous planning" and "deep knowledge of the landscape." Your answer must connect to both ideas, not just one.
Match ideas, not just topic
All the choices mention Tubman, but only one describes how she prepared and used her surroundings. Look for words related to preparation (planning, memorizing, charting) and to physical guides (creeks, stars, terrain).
Eliminate answer choices that show results or reputation
If a choice talks mainly about how many people she helped, what others thought of her, or her later memories, it’s probably not about the planning and landscape knowledge that led to her success.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate the claim in simple terms
The author claims that Tubman’s success on the Underground Railroad was based on:
- Meticulous planning: careful, detailed preparation before escapes.
- Deep knowledge of the landscape: understanding the physical environment (creeks, paths, stars, terrain) she traveled through.
The correct quotation must clearly show both her careful planning and her use of the land to guide escapes.
Test each choice against the two key ideas
Now check each option and ask:
- Does it show planning (preparing, organizing, mapping, studying in advance)?
- Does it show knowledge of the landscape (land features or natural guides like rivers, stars, terrain)?
Evaluate the choices:
- Option 1 focuses on how many people she helped and how the achievement is repeated, which is about results/impact, not about planning or navigation.
- Option 2 focuses on her reputation and symbolism, not on any specific preparation or landscape knowledge.
- Option 3 mentions swamps, but it’s a later memory, not evidence of careful planning or using the land to navigate.
Only one option directly shows both advance preparation and using natural features to find a route.
Identify the quotation that matches the claim
The quotation that clearly shows Tubman preparing in detail before escapes and using the natural landscape to guide her route is:
“Before each escape, Tubman memorized the bends of nearby creeks and the positions of the stars, charting routes in advance.”
This supports the claim because it shows both meticulous preparation (“Before each escape,” “memorized,” “charting”) and landscape-based navigation (“creeks,” “stars”).