How do you identify a claim in a nonfiction passage?

• A. The claim is the conclusion drawn by readers.
• B. The claim is any sentence that seems interesting.
• C. The claim is the supporting evidence.
• D. The claim is the main assertion or position the author is arguing, not just a fact; look for thesis statements or central argument.

Answer: (D)

Identifying the claim means finding the author's main statement or position about the topic—the point they are trying to persuade you to accept. This is the central idea the whole passage builds toward, not just a fact or a sentence that piques interest.

The claim is not simply a fact the passage states, and it isn’t something you infer after reading for fun. It’s the specific stance the author argues for. You’ll usually see it expressed in a thesis-like sentence or a central argument that the rest of the paragraphing and evidence are designed to support.

To spot it, look for the line that states what the author is trying to prove or defend. This is often introduced with signals like “This essay argues that...,” “The main point is...,” or a concise statement of the author’s position. Remember that the supporting details—data, examples, anecdotes, and reasoning—are there to back up that claim, not to be mistaken for the claim itself.

For a quick mental check, ask: What is the author trying to convince me of, in one sentence? If you can answer that, you’ve found the claim. For instance, if a passage argues that implementing a carbon tax will reduce emissions, that assertion is the claim, while the statistics and case studies are the evidence used to support it.