Question
Suppose you're writing a report claiming that August has been a record-cold month in Portland, Maine. Which of these examples provides textual evidence for your claim?
According to the National Weather Service web site, the average temperature for the 31 days of August this year was 67 degrees.
The newspaper said that high temperatures on August 10 only reached 49 degrees.
“It was cold, that’s for sure,” noted meteorologist Mike Wilson in a phone interview with the author of this report.
I've heard many people say that it seemed like the coldest August ever seen in our area.
According to the National Weather Service web site, the average temperature for the 31 days of August this year was 67 degrees.
The newspaper said that high temperatures on August 10 only reached 49 degrees.
“It was cold, that’s for sure,” noted meteorologist Mike Wilson in a phone interview with the author of this report.
I've heard many people say that it seemed like the coldest August ever seen in our area.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The most compelling piece of textual evidence for your claim that August has been a record-cold month in Portland, Maine, is:
**According to the National Weather Service web site, the average temperature for the 31 days of August this year was 67 degrees.**
This sentence provides a specific data point from a reliable source (the National Weather Service) and directly relates to the average temperature, supporting the claim of it being a cold month.
The other examples, while they may suggest it was cold, either rely on anecdotal evidence or do not provide specific data relevant to the average temperature for the month.
**According to the National Weather Service web site, the average temperature for the 31 days of August this year was 67 degrees.**
This sentence provides a specific data point from a reliable source (the National Weather Service) and directly relates to the average temperature, supporting the claim of it being a cold month.
The other examples, while they may suggest it was cold, either rely on anecdotal evidence or do not provide specific data relevant to the average temperature for the month.