Identifying Author Claims and Arguments

An argument represents the "mountain," or the overarching big idea of an entire piece of writing.
A claim is a "marker" or a small, specific aspect of the larger argument that an author processes with the reader.
Breaking down a large, academically critical reading into small claims prevents the brain from becoming overwhelmed and helps build a clearer understanding of the whole piece.

Overarching Argument: Writing professionally is difficult and requires a commitment to time, multiple revisions, and rejection.
Supporting Claim: A writer must continue to produce work even when they are not finding success.
To support the overall argument, the specific claim regarding continued effort correlates directly with the "commitment to rejection" mentioned in the main thesis.

Close reading involves distinguishing between explicit, directly connected paragraphs and those that are merely transitional or supplemental.
When identifying which paragraph best illustrates a claim, it is necessary to find the section where the fullness of the concept is established.
Effectiveness is determined by how many components of the claim are present; for example, a paragraph mentioning both the inability to stop and the presence of "doubts" is more thorough than a paragraph that only mentions "doubts."

Multiple-choice sections on exams, such as the AP exam, typically provide several answer choices that "kind of" work.
Success on these assessments requires critical thinking to identify the one answer that most thoroughly encompasses all parts of a claim.
Mastering the skill of identifying specific claims helps climbing the "mountain" of a complex argument more manageable and increases reader confidence.