GED112- Scholarly Inquiry

CLAIMS
Prepared by: Ms. Faith Jovellanos
Learning Goals:

Differentiate claims from opinions

Differentiate explicit and implicit claims

Identify the different forms of claims

MONDAY KUMUSTAHAN QUESTION:

What’s the best piece of advice

you’ve ever been given?

CLAIM
 CLAIM
•A claim is a single statement that is the
topic of an argument; not a question; a
phrase against the status quo
•A claim may be unverified or controversial
to a certain degree.
•It persuades, argues, convinces, or
provocatively suggests something a reader
who may or may not initially agree with
you.
WHAT IS A CLAIM?
A claim is the main argument of an
essay.
A claim defines your paper's goals,
direction, scope, and exigence and is
supported by evidence, quotations,
argumentation, expert opinion,
statistics, and telling details.
A claim must be argumentative. When
you make a claim, you are arguing for a
certain interpretation or understanding
of your subject.
 Twinkies are delicious.

Twinkies taste better than other snack cakes

because of their texture, their creamy filling, and
their golden appearance.

Opinion Claim
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE PHOTO?
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE PHOTO?
WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE PHOTO?
WHAT IS THE WOMAN HOLDING?
WHAT’S THE COLOR OF HER HAT?
WHAT IS THE DOG DOING?
EXPLICIT AND IMPLICIT
CLAIMS IN A TEXT
 EXPLICIT CLAIMS
•Any idea that is stated. With explicit
information, you see the text explained!

•The explicit information will be written in the

text.

•Just read.

Example: The woman is holding a green cup.

 IMPLICIT CLAIMS
•Implicit information is understood but it is
not stated, but the idea is there.

•To find implicit information in what is read,

you will have to think about what you read.
Look for clues as you read.

•Implicit information is not written.

Example: The woman is sick.

WHAT’S THE UNSPOKEN MESSAGE
BEHIND THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS?
 That Summer, the fence that stretch through our town seemed
bigger. We lived in a yellow house on one side of it. White people
lived on the other. And Mama said, “Don’t climb over that fence
when you play.” She said it wasn’t safe.

 It’s hard to live in a small studio apartment with a man who is

learning how to play the violin.” That’s what she told the police as
she handed them the broken bat.

In a dark interrogation room, the police asked ,

“Why did you kill the girl?”

Explicit and Implicit Relationships within and between Sentences

• Sentence comprehension may involve recognizing the relationship between
parts of a sentence.

• If the relationship within the sentence is explicit (stated), transition

words and phrases will be used. If the relationship within the sentence in
implicit (unstated), the reader must infer the relationship.

• This skill is related to identifying the author’s overall organizational

pattern. Some of the same patterns and transitions learned in recognizing
organizational patterns will be useful in recognizing relationships within
sentences.
QUESTION #1:

Jack is a very poor basketball player; therefore, he

should be taken off the team.

a. example
b. clarification
c. cause/effect
d. addition

QUESTION #2:

George Washington was very much admired as a

soldier and statesman, but in his private life, he
was described by some as proud and demanding.

a. time
b. spatial order
c. contrast
d. comparison

QUESTION #3:

The youth must have been involved with the

murder; evidently, he left the crime scene in such a
hurry that he forgot to dispose of his gun.

a. example
b. clarification
c. time order
d. spatial order

QUESTION #4:
Amnesty International is a world famous organization which
acts to help men and women who have been unjustly
incarcerated; the organization regularly publishes the names
of political prisoners and requests that letters pressing for
their release be sent to the proper authorities.

a. example
b. cause/effect
c. addition
d. summary

QUESTION #5:
There are thousands of thoughts that might enter your
conscious mind at any given moment; moreover, those thoughts
are in some way related to your interests, hopes, needs, and
desires.

a. clarification
b. addition
c. cause/effect
d. time order

QUESTION #6:
The Three Faces of Eve was a highly successful book upon
which a film about multiple personality was based; similarly,
Sybil was a book that became a movie depicting a young
woman’s struggle with this puzzling condition.

a. contrast
b. example
c. addition
d. comparison

FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
PART 1
THREE FORMS OF CLAIM
CLAIM OF FACT
CLAIM OF POLICY
CLAIM OF VALUE
CLAIM OF FACT “...ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET WORLD
STATISTICS, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY
2,267,233,742 INTERNET USERS WORLDWIDE IN
2012...”

A claim of fact is a statement about how

things were in the past, how they are in the
present, or how they will be in the future. It
is not necessarily true but it claims to be a
truth. What makes it arguable is that the
speaker has no direct way of establishing
the truth of the claim.

 Proof requires:

1. sufficient and appropriate grounds

•reliable authority
•recent data
•accurate, typical data
•clearly defined terms -no loaded language

2. a clear distinction between fact and inference

 “...CYBERBULLYING AND PROSECUTION

CLAIM OF VALUE
Value claims are arguable statements
HAVE CAUSED MANY PEOPLE PAIN AND
SUFFERING. SOMETIMES, OPPORTUNITIES
FOR GENUINE FACE TO FACE
INTERACTION ARE SACRIFICED, AND
PRECIOUS TIME WASTED..”

concerning the relative merits of something

which is measured subjectively. It is based on
preference such as likes/dislikes (good or
bad). Defending a value claim involves
offering a set of criteria for consideration,
defending the set of criteria as legitimate
and showing how applying the criteria
justifies the claim. Often value claims are
comparative.

 Proof requires:

1. Establishing standards of evaluation

2. Establish the advantage (practical or
moral) of your standards.
3. Use examples to clarify abstract values
4. Use credible authorities for support.

 "LEGISLATION SHOULD
CLAIM OF POLICY BE PASSED TO STOP
THE SALE OF
•A policy claim is a statement regarding the CIGARETTES."
merits of a course of action. What makes
it arguable is that, even though people may
not be totally certain about the proper
course of action to take, they still must act.
To argue in defense of a policy claim is to
state that, given what we know now, it’s
best to act in the manner proposed.

•Use of MODALS of NECCESSITY (must,

has to, have to, need to, ought to, supposed
to, should)

 Proof requires:

1. a clear proposed action

2. need (justification)
3. plan, (must be workable)
4. benefit (advantages)
5. consider opposition / counter argument

Identify whether the excerpt features

any of the following:

Claim of Fact
Claim of Value
Claim of Policy
QUESTION #1:

Excessive consumption of alcohol

can lead to many illnesses.

QUESTION #2:

Honesty is the best policy.

QUESTION #3:

Television newscasting influences

the way Americans think about
social and political issues
QUESTION #4:

The Bates GRE Study Guide is

an excellent tutorial for
students preparing to take the
GRE.
QUESTION #5:

To attract more nontraditional

students, this college must
review and revise its course
offerings.
QUESTION #6:

The existence of nuclear

weapons has prevented the
outbreak of World War III.
QUESTION #7

An improved sewer system

would solve these flood drainage
problems.

QUESTION #8:

America should protect its

domestic industries with tariffs
and quotas.
QUESTION #9:

Climate Change is a significant

change that is happening for the
past ten years.

QUESTION #10:

Medical marijuana should be

legalized.

FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
PART 2