Which sentence in the rebuttal provides evidence that defends against the counterclaim? critics are correct in saying that the weather moves in cycles. however, that doesn’t mean that the current drought isn’t real. by the end of october 2012, sixty percent of the us was experiencing a drought. granted, that was a four percent decrease from the drought totals in september. answer is by the end of october 2012, sixty percent of the us was experiencing a drought.