Understanding Arguments and Evidence

Which of the following best defines a "claim" in an argument?

• A personal story used to entertain the reader

• A statement that asserts a point, belief, or truth

• A list of facts without explanation

• A question asked to the audience

What is the main purpose of "evidence" in an argument?

• To confuse the reader

• To support or prove a claim

• To introduce a new topic

• To summarize the argument

Which of the following is an example of a claim?

• "According to a recent study, 70% of teens use social media daily."

• "Social media has a negative impact on teenagers."

• "Many teenagers own smartphones."

• "The study was conducted in 2022."

Which sentence below is an example of evidence?

• "I think school should start later."

• "Studies show that students who start school later get better grades."

• "School is important for everyone."

• "Many people like to sleep in."

What is an "argument" in writing?

• A fight between two people

• A reasoned way of demonstrating that a particular idea or point of view is valid

• A list of unrelated facts

• A summary of a story

Which of the following best shows the relationship between claim and evidence?

• Evidence is used to challenge a claim

• Evidence is used to support a claim

• Claim and evidence are unrelated

• Claim is used to support evidence

Which of the following is NOT a good example of evidence?

• Statistics from a reliable source

• A quote from an expert

• A personal opinion with no facts

• Results from a scientific experiment

What should you do if your evidence does not clearly support your claim?

• Ignore the evidence

• Change your claim or find better evidence

• Use the evidence anyway

• Remove your claim

Which of the following is the best example of a strong argument?

• "I like pizza because it tastes good."

• "Pizza is the best food because a survey of 1,000 people showed that 70% prefer pizza over other foods."

• "Pizza is round and has cheese."

• "Everyone should eat pizza."

Which of the following statements is a claim that could be supported by evidence?

• "Dogs are better pets than cats."

• "Dogs have four legs."

• "Cats can climb trees."

• "Some people are allergic to cats."