Skill Focus: Arguments and Claims

Skill Focus: Arguments and Claims

Defined

When people express opinions, they often find themselves in arguments—though hopefully not the noisy kind! An argument, whether it’s spoken or written, is really an attempt to persuade someone to share a point of view. But, as you probably know from experience, an effective argument does more than state opinions. Let’s say you’re reading an informational text, such as a persuasive essay, that contains an argument. To determine whether that argument is convincing, you’ll need to examine the writer’s claims and how well he or she has supported them with evidence—facts, details, examples, or logical reasons—from outside sources.Identification and Application:

• A strong argument needs an introduction with a statement that clearly states a claim or claims on a specific topic.
• Determine the main points of the argument by looking for specific claims and supporting evidence.
  • Look for conclusions that the author draws, calls to action, or strong statements of opinion on a particular topic. These may be claims.
  • Find relevant textual evidence that the author uses to support any claims.
  • Evidence may appear as a direct quotation from a text.
  • Look for facts, statistics, examples, and testimony from experts on a subject.
• Evaluate whether the author’s reasoning is valid, or logical. Look closely for false statements and faulty or fallacious reasoning. Evaluate the relevance of the evidence that the author provides.