Argument Structure

Claims, Evidence, and Conclusions

Every CARS passage is built from claims (what the author asserts), support (examples, studies, analogies, appeals to authority), and conclusions (the claim other claims exist to serve). The main conclusion is usually hedged less than supporting claims and often arrives after a pivot word: "but," "yet," "however," "in fact."

Mapping the Skeleton

Track the argument, not the subject matter. For each paragraph ask: is this a new claim, support for an old claim, a counterargument, or a concession? Concessions ("admittedly," "to be sure") are not the author's position — they set up a rebuttal. Attributed views ("critics argue," "some believe") belong to others unless the author endorses them.

Function Questions

"The author mentions X in order to…" asks for X's ROLE in the skeleton, not its content. The answer names a relationship: supports, undermines, concedes, illustrates, qualifies.

Key Takeaways

• Find the main conclusion; everything else is scaffolding
• Concessions and attributed views are not the author's claims
• Pivot words mark where the real position starts
• Function questions ask why, never what