Which of the following best supports a claim with credible evidence?

• A. Specific facts, data, and expert testimony that directly support the claim.
• B. Personal opinions about the topic.
• C. Vague statements not tied to data.
• D. Anecdotes from unrelated experiences.

Answer: (A)

Credible evidence means information you can verify and that directly supports what you’re arguing. Specific facts, data, and expert testimony do that because they are verifiable, relevant, and show a clear link to the claim. Personal opinions aren’t credible evidence because they reflect beliefs rather than verifiable information. Vague statements aren’t tied to data, so they don’t demonstrate why the claim is true. Anecdotes from unrelated experiences may be interesting but don’t establish a reliable pattern or generalize to the larger issue. So the strongest choice is the one that uses concrete facts, data, and credible expert input that directly supports the claim.