CLAIM TESTING

How to know if a claim is true or false

 What is a claim?
A claim is an assertion that something is true,
without necessarily providing evidence.
Who makes claims?
All of us.

• When we teach we make claims.

• When we tell each other stories we make claims.
• Television commercials make claims about products.
• Doctors make claims about medicine.

Much of what people share and advertise are claims; however,

we often don’t explain or justify our claims. In addition, we
don’t often question the claims that we encounter.
 What are some claims?
• The sun and planets revolve around the earth
(claimed by Copernicus).
• Drinking milk is good for children.
• Wearing a face mask can protect you from
corona virus (claimed by WHO).
• Amul is utterly, butterly delicious.
• The Universe is 13.8 billion years old.
 How do we test a claim?
There are four ways to test a claim:

• Instinct: What is your gut feeling reaction? Does the

support for the claim seem right?
• Authority: Who is making this claim? Is it a believable
source?
• Evidence: What proof is being offered?
(the word ‘evident’ comes from being
able to see something)
• Logic: Does the claim make sense?
 Instinct
When you hear these claims, what is your instinctive reaction?

School is reopening tomorrow.

Aliens landed in New Delhi today.

The best way to get a good-paying

job is to get good marks from a
good university.

Eating carrots can make you fat.

 Authority
Who or what is the authority for this claim?

According to the World Health

Organization, the best method
of avoiding Corona virus is to
practice social distancing and
wearing of face masks.
 Evidence
What is the evidence for this claim?
Retail sales jumped 17% in May, well above the
8% predicted by economists who surveyed
a sample of 2,300 retail outlets in India.
 Logic
Does this claim make logical sense? Why or why
not?

When it's sunny, I see my neighbor

walking his dog. He must only walk
the dog when the sun is out.
Now test these claims
Test this claim

•Instinct

•Logic

•Evidence

•Authority
Test this claim
•Instinct

•Logic

•Evidence

•Authority
 Test this claim
• Instinct
• Logic
• Evidence
• Authority
 Test this claim
•Instinct

•Logic

•Evidence

•Authority
Test this claim
•Instinct

•Logic

•Evidence

•Authority
Analyse this claim
Which claim testing tool is used here?
 TEST THE CLAIM
•Instinct

•Logic

•Evidence

•Authority
HIDDEN CLAIMS