Rhetorical terms · AP English Language, SAT Reading and Writing, ACT Reading
Claim
Claim: An arguable statement a writer asks the audience to accept, supported by reasons and evidence.
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What it means
A claim is a position that reasonable people could dispute. It is different from a fact, which can be verified, and from a topic, which names an area of discussion. A thesis is the central claim of a whole essay; body paragraphs usually make smaller claims that support it.
Claims can be of fact (something is true), value (something is good or bad), or policy (something should be done).
Example
Topic: homework. Fact: the average student spends two hours a night on homework. Claim: schools should cap homework at one hour a night because longer assignments crowd out sleep without improving learning.
On the exam
AP Lang multiple-choice questions ask how claims are supported; in the essays, each body paragraph should open with a claim of your own.
Lessons and practice questions
Related terms
- Defensible thesisA thesis that takes a position on the prompt and can be supported with evidence and reasoning.
- WarrantThe often unstated assumption that connects evidence to a claim and explains why the evidence counts as support.
- Line of reasoningThe logical sequence of claims that connects a thesis to its supporting evidence across an essay.
- CounterargumentAn opposing view or objection to a writer's claim, which the writer may acknowledge and answer.