An author's claim or argument is his or her stated opinion or belief. It is what the author will try to persuade you to agree with in the passage. For example, an author might claim that soccer is the most popular sport in the world.
Then, it is up to the author to present reasons and evidence to support that claim. Techniques the author may use include:
You, the reader, must evaluate the author's claim and decide if it is convincing or not. Ask yourself:
Statistics prove that students need to study longer.
Computers can immediately score a test and give students instant feedback.
Circle the letter of each correct answer.
Write the answers to the questions that follow.
We cannot do without real classroom teachers to inspire children's creativity.
We all appreciate our teachers.
No, it is a personal opinion that does not support the argument that the community would save money with fewer teachers.
Please evaluate the student's answers:
Excellent
Good
Okay