Critical reading is a form of language analysis that does not take the given text at face value,

but involves a deeper examination of the claims put forth as well as the supporting points and
possible counterarguments.

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what
to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone
with critical thinking skills is able to do the following :

 understand the logical connections between ideas

 identify, construct and evaluate arguments
 detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
 solve problems systematically
 identify the relevance and importance of ideas
 reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

Definition of Claim. In literature, a claim is a statement that asserts something to be true.

A claim can either be factual or a judgment. Claims can work on their own or in conjunction
with other claims to form a larger argument. The word claim comes from the Latin word
clamare, which means “to cry out, shout.”

Claims of Fact • A claim of fact posits whether something is true or untrue, but there must always be the
potential for controversy, conflict and conversion.

Claims of value involve judgments, appraisals, and evaluations. • Everyone has a bias of sorts, often
embedded in social, religious, and/or cultural values. • At this point, you can OPEN UP your topic by
comparing and contrasting your problem with a similar one in another time and/or place. • When you
“fight” with friends and colleagues over intellectual issues, you are usually debating claims of value.

Claims of Policy • Claims of policy typically provide a solution or another series of questions in response
to the claims of fact. • Claims of policy are often procedural, organized plans. • A counterclaim of policy
posits that the problem exists, it’s good to solve it a certain way, but there is a better solution than the
one you have proposed.