Question 33·Easy·Command of Evidence
Participation in Community Institutions, 2005–2020
Sociologists often study social institutions—such as religious organizations, volunteer groups, and local government meetings—to understand how people build connections in their communities. One national survey tracked the percentage of adults who reported participating at least once a month in several kinds of community institutions between 2005 and 2020. For example, participation in _____ as shown in the graph.
Which choice most effectively uses data from the graph to complete the example?
For command-of-evidence questions tied to a graph, translate each option into a quick visual check: identify the correct line, compare the relevant years (often the first and last), and confirm that the direction and strength of change (increased, decreased, stayed similar) match what the graph shows.
Hints
Focus on the biggest change
Scan the four lines and identify which one rises the most from the first year to the last year.
Use the endpoints
Compare the 2005 value to the 2020 value for each category to see which statement fits.
Watch for direction words
Words like increased, stayed about the same, rose, and fell must match what the line actually does.
Step-by-step Explanation
Locate the category mentioned in each option
Check each line in the graph: online interest groups, religious organizations, local government meetings, and volunteer organizations.
Compare the trend across the years shown
Look at how each line changes from 2005 to 2020. Online interest groups rises steeply, while the other categories either change only a little or decrease.
Match the option to the data
Online interest groups goes from about 10% (2005) to about 45% (2020), so the best completion is online interest groups increased sharply from 2005 to 2020.