Claim Evidence Reasoning

Match the following

• Explains the "Why" behind your claim.

• Claim

• A statement that can be argued with.

• Reasoning

• Facts or information indicating whether a belief is valid.

• Evidence

Match the following types of evidence

• Figures that can be used to show relationships.

• Statistic

• A person who has comprehensive and authoritative knowledge in a particular area.

• Anacdotal

• A statement that can be proved.

• Expert opinion

• Interesting stories that illustrate a point, usually using emotion.

• Fact

Identify the underlined sentence as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

According to Essentials of Conservation Biology by Richard Primack, 90% of zoo animals are bred in captivityZoos use inhumane methods to create a supply of zoo animals.

Although their ancestry traces back to a wild animal, many are raised without a glimpse of their original homes.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined sentence as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

Zoos are bad because they kill extra animals. An example of this happened  in 2014 at the Copenhagen Zoo when they killed a giraffe, Marius, because they couldn't use him for breeding. This is wrong because you shouldn't kill animals just because they aren't considered useful.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

 Identify the underlined statement as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

 Some zoos claim that they are involved with wild animal rehabilitation, but often this is not true. A report by National Geographic, published in 2003, found that most zoos don't have any contact with reintroduction programs. This shows that zoos are not doing what they say they do.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined sentence as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

Breeding animals in a zoo to repopulate the wild is not effective. According to the National Geographic,  there have been 145 known efforts worldwide to raise endangered animals in captivity in the last century, but only 16 of those efforts have been successful. This shows that zoos are not solving the problem of endangered species.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined statement as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

Zoos may say that their goal is to protect endangered species. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a nonprofit group that fights for animal rights, only 18 percent of animals in United States zoos are actually endangered. While zoos may protect some species, it is clearly not the first goal for zoos.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined sentence as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

 Likewise, the claim that zoos help educate the public about wildlife protection is not true.

 In January 2014, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) surveyed people who had recently visited a zoo, finding that less than 10 percent of visitors left the zoo with a greater understanding of biodiversity. This shows that zoos are not helping to educate the public.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined sentence as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

 Zoos simply don't have enough resources to properly house the creatures they own. According to the opinion article "All the Reasons Why Zoos Should Be Banned," published by Vice in 2015, polar bears in captivity have up to 18,000 times less space in zoos than they do in the wild. This is not enough space to provide the quality of life the animals deserve.

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning

Identify the underlined sentences as claim, evidence, or reasoning.

Animals cannot live full, healthy lives in captivity. Seventy-five percent of elephants kept in zoos are overweight. Forty percent of lion cubs pass away before their full life span. This data supports the argument that zoos do not have the resources to support animals' well-being, health and populations. 

• Claim

• Evidence

• Reasoning