Command of Evidence SAT question

Choice B is the best answer because it most effectively illustrates the claim in the text that Hedda seeks to influence another character’s fate. In the quotation, Hedda says that she wants “to have power to mould a human destiny,” or shape a person’s fate, just as the text indicates. Additionally, the phrase “for once in my life” suggests that Hedda feels that she has never been able to shape anyone’s life, including her own, supporting the text’s assertion that she “is unable to freely determine her own future.”

Choice A is incorrect because this quotation shows Hedda being uncertain about what to do with her own life, not wanting to influence another person’s fate. Choice C is incorrect because while this quotation shows Hedda’s interest in finding out whether she has any power over another character, it doesn’t clearly show that she wants to influence that person’s fate. In this quotation, Hedda seems to have inferred or concluded (“then”) that she doesn’t have any influence over the person to whom she’s speaking, and she’s asking that person to confirm her lack of influence. Choice D is incorrect because this quotation expresses Hedda’s belief that a man should be true to his principles, not her desire to influence another person’s fate.