A student should conduct research for an essay to gather the ____ , or the details that show that the student's essay is true.

• A. evidence
• B. objective
• C. thesis
• D. topic

Answer: (A)

When you research for an essay, you collect evidence—the details, data, quotes, and examples that show your claim is true. This material lets your argument rest on solid, questionable-free grounds and makes your conclusions persuasive by tying them to credible information. In Enlightenment-type scholarship, reason is validated through observable evidence and credible sources, so gathering solid evidence is exactly what demonstrates that your essay’s statements hold up.

The other ideas aren’t the details that prove things. An objective is the aim you set for your research, guiding what you do but not serving as the proof itself. A thesis is your main claim—the idea you will argue for—while the topic is simply what you’re studying.