Question 135·Hard·Command of Evidence
A student is writing a paper about Kate Sheppard, the leading figure behind New Zealand’s 1893 women’s suffrage petition. In the paper, the student argues that Sheppard was persuasive because she presented the vote not as a final goal but as a practical tool for achieving wider social reforms such as temperance, public health, and education.
Which quotation from a scholarly article on the 1893 suffrage campaign would provide the strongest evidence for the student’s claim?
For command-of-evidence questions asking which quote best supports a claim, first restate the claim in your own words and underline its key idea. Then quickly scan each option and ask, “Does this directly show or prove that key idea, or is it just related background (numbers, context, opponents, etc.)?” Eliminate any choices that don’t clearly match the claim’s focus, especially those about different people, mere statistics, or side issues, and choose the quote that most specifically and directly illustrates the claim’s central point.
Hints
Focus on the key idea in the claim
Underline the part of the prompt that explains why Sheppard was persuasive: that she presented the vote as a practical tool to achieve wider social reforms. Any correct quote must connect voting to changing society in some way.
Decide what type of information you need
Ask yourself: do you need a quote about numbers, opponents’ fears, Sheppard’s influences, or how she described the purpose of the vote? Only one of these types of information directly supports the student’s argument.
Check who is speaking and what they’re talking about
Be sure the quote is about Sheppard’s own message and links the vote to improving homes, schools, or public life, not just about the petition’s size or what critics said.
Step-by-step Explanation
Restate what the student is claiming
The student argues that Sheppard was persuasive because of how she framed the vote:
- She did not treat the vote as the final goal.
- She presented the vote as a practical tool or means to achieve wider social reforms such as temperance, public health, and education. So we need evidence that focuses on how Sheppard described or used the vote, especially as a way to improve society.
Translate the required evidence into plain language
Ask: What would a strong supporting quote look like?
- It should show Sheppard herself connecting women’s right to vote with improving social conditions (homes, schools, public places, health, morality, etc.).
- It should show the vote as a tool, weapon, or instrument for change, not just a statistic, strategy, or reaction from opponents. Keep this picture in mind as you compare each option.
Eliminate quotes that don’t match the claim
Now check each option against that requirement:
- Choice A talks about Sheppard admiring British suffragists and using a locally tailored strategy. This is about where her ideas came from and strategy, not about portraying the vote as a tool for social reform.
- Choice C gives numbers about the petition’s size. That’s about how many people supported suffrage, not about how Sheppard framed the vote.
- Choice D describes what opponents feared about women voting (doubling the electorate, burdening the system). It is not about Sheppard’s persuasive message at all. Since A, C, and D don’t show the vote as a tool for reform in Sheppard’s own rhetoric, they can’t be the best evidence.
Confirm the remaining option supports the claim
The only remaining option is the quotation where Sheppard tells Parliament that extending the franchise would “arm women with the peaceful weapon necessary to purify the nation’s homes, schools, and public houses.” This clearly presents the vote as a “peaceful weapon”—a tool women can use to improve and “purify” social institutions, which matches the student’s claim that she saw the vote as a practical means to achieve broader reforms. Therefore, the correct answer is:
“Sheppard repeatedly told Parliament that extending the franchise would ‘arm women with the peaceful weapon necessary to purify the nation’s homes, schools, and public houses.’”