SAT Reading & Writing · Command of Evidence (textual)
A theater historian claims that a controversial ending added to a classic play during a famous twentieth-century production reflected the…
A theater historian claims that a controversial ending added to a classic play during a famous twentieth-century production reflected the director's personal political views instead of any element of the original script. Which finding would most directly undermine this claim?
Answer and explanation
Answer: D: A draft of the director's promptbook, discovered decades later, shows the altered ending was based on a rejected early draft of the play written by the original playwright, a draft the director had…
The historian's claim requires the ending to originate from the director's own views instead of the source material, and D directly undermines that by showing the altered ending actually traces back to the original playwright's own rejected draft, not the director's independent invention. A and B are circumstantial background facts about the era and the director's general views, not evidence about the ending's actual origin. C describes audience reaction, unrelated to the ending's source.
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