Common Core ELA8th GradeReading: Informational

RI.8.1: Cite the Strongest Textual Evidence

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1 · Cluster: Key Ideas and Details.

The Official Wording

Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Common Core State Standards, Grade 8, Reading: Informational Text · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What RI.8.1 Means in Plain English

Eighth graders stop collecting evidence and start ranking it. Asked why the Hindenburg flew on flammable hydrogen, a student might find three sentences that seem to help, then defend the one that proves the point best, whether the text states that point outright or only implies it.

Seventh grade (RI.7.1) asked for several pieces of evidence, and many students still quote everything they find. Eighth grade asks which quote does the most work and why. In ninth and tenth grade (RI.9-10.1) the evidence must be strong and thorough, covering every part of the analysis.

RI.8.1 I Can Statements

I can find every sentence that could support my point.
I can explain why one piece of evidence is stronger than another.
I can support an inference with the evidence that proves it best.

RI.8.1 Worked Example

Both answers quote the passage accurately, but one picks a sentence that points the wrong way and the other picks the one that proves the inference.

Read the Story

The German-built Hindenburg was the largest aircraft ever to fly, a silver airship longer than three jumbo jets parked nose to tail.Its designers drew up plans to fill its gas cells with helium, a gas that cannot burn. Hydrogen lifts slightly more, but a single spark can set it alight.At the time, nearly all of the world’s helium came from gas wells in the United States, and a 1927 American law barred selling it abroad.When the Hindenburg began flying in 1936, its cells were filled with hydrogen. On May 6, 1937, it burst into flames while landing in New Jersey, and 36 people died.

A short passage written for this page.

Question: The passage never says why the Hindenburg flew on hydrogen. What can you infer, and which single sentence is the strongest evidence for it?

Not Yet“They picked hydrogen because it works better. The text says, ‘Hydrogen lifts slightly more.’”The quote is real but points the wrong way: the designers planned for helium anyway, so a little extra lift was not what decided it. The answer skips the sentence about who controlled the world’s helium.

Meets the Standard“The builders wanted helium but could not get it, so they settled for hydrogen. The strongest evidence is that ‘nearly all of the world’s helium came from gas wells in the United States, and a 1927 American law barred selling it abroad.’ The helium plans show what the designers wanted, and the lift sentence offers a rival explanation, but only the export law explains why a German airship ended up with hydrogen.”It states the inference in its own words, picks one sentence, and explains why it beats the two runners-up, including the tempting one that points the wrong way.

Question Stems to Use

Which sentences could support this point? List them all first.Which one would convince a reader who doubts you? Why that one?Does this quote prove your point, or is it only about the same topic?What does the text say outright, and what are you inferring?Why is your evidence stronger than the next best choice?

Common Mistakes with RI.8.1

Quoting the first relevant sentence

“Hydrogen lifts slightly more,” offered as the reason, though the designers planned for helium

Try this: Have students list every possible quote first, then rank them and defend the top choice in one sentence against the runner-up.

Stacking quotes instead of choosing

Four quotations in a row, with no word on which one carries the argument

Try this: Limit the first draft to one quotation, then let students add a second only if it proves something the first does not.

Quoting without naming the inference

“A 1927 American law barred selling it abroad” with no sentence saying what that proves

Try this: Require a claim sentence before every quote, so the reader knows what the evidence is meant to prove before seeing it.

Where RI.8.1 Fits

Comes BeforeRI.7.1Cite several pieces of evidence for what a text says outright and what it implies.

AlongsideRL.8.1The same strongest-evidence move with stories, plays and poems.RH.6-8.1Cite specific evidence from primary and secondary sources in history class.W.8.9Draw evidence from texts to support written analysis, reflection and research.

Comes NextRI.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough evidence, enough to support every part of an analysis.

Practice RI.8.1

Quick Check

What can you infer about why the Hindenburg flew on hydrogen?
Its builders could not get helium, because the United States controlled nearly all of it and a 1927 law barred selling it abroad.
Which sentence is the strongest evidence for that inference, and why?
“At the time, nearly all of the world’s helium came from gas wells in the United States, and a 1927 American law barred selling it abroad.” It explains why the helium the designers planned for was out of reach.
Why is “Hydrogen lifts slightly more” weak evidence for that inference?
The designers had planned to use helium anyway, so the extra lift was not what made them switch.

RI.8.1: Other Names

RI.8.1CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.1