Question

Read this claim from paragraph 3 of the passage.

This proliferation of cell phone use among teens can work to their benefit. It can help keep them safe.

Which evidence would be the most credible to support the claim?


Across the country, many students use cell phones to call their parents and other adults when they need help.


According to a Department of Education survey, 70% of students who faced emergency situations reported using their cell phones to call their parents.


Students can use cell phones to call their parents and to call 911 in emergencies.


Based on student interviews, cell phones were used to call parents and arrange safe rides home during a 2011 blackout in a California school.

Answer 1

"According to a Department of Education survey, 70% of students who faced emergency situations reported using their cell phones to call their parents."

Reason: This gives authoritative, quantitative evidence from a reputable source. The others are vague (1), merely restate the idea (3), or are anecdotal and less generalizable (4).