TYPES OF CLAIMS

CLAIMS OF FACT CLAIMS OF FACT - This type of question is typically answerable by “Yes” or “No.” It revolves around whether something is true or not, existent or not. Did it happen? Is it True? How do we know this? Ex. Polar bears are on the verge of extinction due to melting ice caps.

CLAIMS OF VALUE CLAIMS OF VALUE - Appeals to the inherent moral values of the audience. How bad is it? How good? How moral or immoral? Of what worth is it? Who says so? What do these people value? What values or criteria should I use to determine its goodness or badness? >Killing animals in the process of medical testing is immoral.

CLAIMS OF POLICY CLAIMS OF POLICY - Suggests ways in which existant policy can and should be changed. What should we do? How should we act? How can we solve this problem? Ex. Should European countries enforce laws to accommodate Syrian refugees?

Tell if each of the extemporaneous topics below is a thesis statement to a question of fact (F), question of value (V) or a question of policy (P). Write the letter that corresponds to your answer before each number. 1. Video games make their players violent. 2. Marijuana should be legalized. 3. Using cell phones while driving is dangerous. 4. Adoptees should have the right to know who their parents are. 5. Zoos are not good for the conservation of the species. 6. Examination results provide real indication of ability. 7. Knowing your ancestry is important. 8. Absences cause students to fail a subject. 9. Love is more powerful than hate. 10. Forgiving is forgetting.

11. We are what we eat. 12. College students should have curfews. 13. The school is a second home. 14. A half truth is a whole lie. 15. Jeepneys cause traffic in the Philippines. 16. Junk food should not be sold in campus. 17. The President of the Philippines should be responsible for the 2015 Mamasapano massacre. 18. Filipinos eat healthy. 19. Assignments stress students on weekends. 20. Eating should be allowed in the classroom.