Analyzing arguments and claims in informational texts: identifying the central claim, separating reasons from evidence, distinguishing fact from opinion, evaluating whether the evidence is relevant and sufficient, and spotting weak reasoning on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS argumentative passage.

What this skill is asking

Analyzing an argument means reading a persuasive or argumentative text for its parts and judging how well they hold together, and the Grade 10 ELA MCAS tests this directly. You need to find the central claim (the position the writer wants you to accept), separate the reasons and evidence that support it, tell fact from opinion, and evaluate whether the support is relevant and sufficient. Questions ask which sentence is the claim, which statement is a fact, which evidence best supports a point, or why a piece of reasoning is weak. The skill students lose points on is confusing the claim with the evidence, or accepting any supporting sentence as proof without judging its relevance. This page covers identifying claims, sorting reasons from evidence, distinguishing fact from opinion, and weighing the strength of support. The transferable skill is reading persuasion critically: not just what the writer says, but whether the case actually stands up.

Claim, reason, and evidence

The first move is to take the argument apart.

Sorting these parts is the foundation of every argument question, because the MCAS asks about each. "Which sentence is the central claim" tests the claim; "which statement best supports the claim" tests the evidence; "what reason does the writer give" tests the reasons. A reliable habit is to find the claim first, then read each remaining sentence asking, "Is this the point, or is it support for the point?" Once the structure is clear, the evaluation questions become manageable.

Fact, opinion, and the strength of support

This critical reading is what lifts an argument item beyond simple identification. A writer can state a clear claim and still argue badly, by leaning on opinion, by citing evidence that does not fit, or by ignoring an obvious counterclaim. When a question asks why an argument is weak or how the writer could strengthen it, look for the gap between the claim and its support: irrelevant evidence, insufficient evidence, or an unsupported opinion. The same discipline serves the long composition, where you build, rather than evaluate, an argument, and want your own evidence to be relevant and sufficient.

Working an argument question

Try this

Q1. What is the difference between a claim, a reason, and evidence in an argument? [Recall]

• Cue. The claim is the position the writer wants accepted; a reason says why the claim is true; evidence is the specific facts, examples, or statistics that back the reasons. The claim is what the reasons and evidence support.

Q2. A writer claims a school should start later, citing one friend who felt more alert. Why is this argument weak, and how could it be strengthened? [Short explanation]

• Cue. The evidence is insufficient and anecdotal: one friend's experience cannot carry a claim about the whole school. It could be strengthened with relevant, sufficient evidence, such as research on later start times and student alertness or attendance.