EXPLICIT and

IMPLICIT
INFORMATION
 Critical Reading Leads to Significant
Understanding:
Readers interact with the material through critical
reading. When you practice critical reading, you are
not just gathering information; you are also judging
the importance and legitimacy of the information
you have gathered by judging the purpose, manner
of presentation, and holistic development of the
arguments presented in the text.
To properly evaluate the ideas
you have gathered while
reading, you must be able to
know the different kinds of
information which are explicit
information and implicit
information.
Two Kinds of
Information
Explicit Information is
the information is stated in
the text. Readers can see
the piece of information
stated in the given
passage.
Implicit information is the
information not directly
presented in the text. As
readers, we need to read
between the lines to
understand the details that the
writer is trying to tell us.
Sometimes, we read because we need to
perform a particular task after reading. The
different kinds of information we have
gathered through reading may be used as a
basis for our next task. We can sufficiently
discuss our opinion depending on the evidence
that we have collected from the texts we have
read. Proofs, or claims can be used based on
the type of presentation or argumentation that
you wish to do.
The claim is the most important part
of the text. This is the central
argument or thesis statement of the
text. This is the writer’s point or
position regarding the chosen topic.
This claim is what the writer tries to
prove in the text by providing details,
explanations, and other types of
evidence.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
GOOD CLAIMS
A claim should be argumentative and
debatable. When a writer makes a claim,
he/she is making a case for a particular
perspective on the topic. Readers expect to
be able to raise objections to your claim, and
they can only raise objections if the claim is
something that can be reasonably
challenged. Claims that are only factual or
base on opinion, thus, are not debatable.
A claim should be specific and
focused. If the claim is unfocused,
the paper will be too broad in
scope and will lack direction and a
clear connection to the support
provided. It may also lead to
overgeneralizations and vague
assertions.
A claim should be interesting
and engaging. It should hook
the reader, who may or may
not agree with you, to
encourage them to consider
your perspective and learn
something new from you.
 A claim should be
logical. It should result
from reasonable
weighing of support
provided.
Types of
claims
Claims of fact are
pieces of information
which are grounded on
reliable authority such
as science or history.
Claims of fact state a questionable
assertion, or a measurable topic.
They assert that something has
existed, exists, or will exist based on
data. They rely on reliable sources or
systematic procedures to be
validated; this is what makes them
different from inferences.
Claims of fact usually answer a “what”
question. When determining whether
something is a claim of fact, the following
questions are useful:
* Is this issue related to a possible cause
or effect?
* Is this statement true or false? How can
its truthfulness be verified?
* Is this claim controversial or debatable?
The devastation
experienced by the
Philippines during Typhoon
Yolanda shows the
readiness of disaster relief
protocols established by the
This claim can be defended or
refuted using events as proof,
and the existence or non-
existence of the protocols may
be discussed using specific
incidences as evidence.
Claims of value are pieces of
information that are focused
on relative judgment such as
goodness or badness, and
these are usually addressed
based on standards.
Claims of value assert something that
can be qualified. They consist of
arguments about moral, philosophical, or
aesthetic topics. These types of topics try
to prove that some values are more or
less desirable compared to others. They
make judgments, based on certain
standards, on whether something is right
or wrong, good or bad, or something
similar.
Claims of value attempt to explain how problems,
situations, or issues ought to be valued. To discover
these explanations, you may ask the following
questions:
* Which claims endorse good or right?
* What qualities should be considered good? Why?
* Which of these values contend with others?
Which ones are more important and why? Whose
standards are used?
* What are some concrete examples of such
values?
 Stem cell
research is
wrong.
This claim attempts to
prove the badness of one
idea based on a moral
judgment as specified by
various standards (may be
religious or even political).
Claims of policy are specific
statements on procedures or laws
that need to be modified based on
certain issues or conditions. Most
of the time, claims of policy ask for
plans of action to solve current
problems.
Claims of policy post that specific
actions should be chosen as solutions
to a particular problem. You can easily
identify a claim of policy because they
begin with “should,” “ought to,” or
“must.” Claims of policy because they
defend actionable plans, usually
answer “how” questions.
The following questions will be useful in
evaluating a claim of policy:
* Does the claim suggest a specific
remedy to solve the problem?
* Is the policy clearly defined?
* Is the need for the policy established?
* Is the policy the best one available? For
whom? According to whose standards?
* How does the policy solve the problem?
Censorship in the
Philippines must
be strengthened.
This claim demands that
additional amendments on
a specific policy be adopted
because present
circumstances are no
longer sufficient.
Childhood obesity in our country has more than
tripled in the past 30 years. Today, one in six
children in our country is obese. This is
unacceptable. As parents, we try to provide a
better future for our children, better than we’ve
ever had. We need to stand up and do what we
can. We can start by supporting the passing of
the anti-junk food bill in schools and other child-
friendly areas.
 Adapted from Sample Op-Ed on Childhood

Obesity
Information such as the tripling of the amount of
obesity is used in an explicit manner. Also, the
author uses this claim of fact to base his ideas on
reliable authority, which, in this instance is a
statistic. The author also uses the standard of
providing a better life to children as a claim of
value before leveraging a change in policy as
stated in this sentence “supporting the passing of
the anti-junk food bill in schools and other child-
friendly areas. “ These pieces of information
explicitly tell us that obesity is a problem, and this
passage is implicitly informing us that we can
contribute to solving this issue.
Critical reading is necessary for judging the
reliability of the text through the study of
implicit and explicit information. These pieces
of information may lead to various claims
such as one rooted in history or science
(claims of fact). There are claims that demand
action because the present conditions for
certain policies are no longer effective (claims
of policy). Also, claims that assert the
morality of an idea based on certain
standards or preferences (claims of value).
EXERCISES
 Identify the
type of claim
made in each
statement.
1. National
strength can
only be built
on character.
2. The Filipinos of the past
became strong-willed, earnest,
and adventurous by necessity.
They had to brave the seas,
clear the forest, and erect
towns and cities upon the
wilderness in order to
establish communities.
3. To insure the accomplishment of
the task of national spiritual
reconstructions, we shall formulate
and adopt a social code that can be
explained in the schools, preached
from the pulpits, and taught in the
streets and plazas, and in the
remotest corners of our land.
4. Teachers are in the best
position to inculcate this
social code in the youth
because they are in the
most contact with them
during their formative
years at school.
5. Pilosopo Tasyo is
my favorite
character in the Noli
Me Tangere because
he is the most
6. The oldest
known disease
in the world is
leprosy.
7. The LA Lakers
is the best team
in the NBA.
8. Congress
should pass
the dream act.
9. Yougurtland
is better than
Pinkberry.
10. China will be
the number one
English
speaking
11. Congress
should reduce
the drinking age
to 18.
12. Although it has
been largely
forgotten, the flu
epidemic of 1918-
1919 was one of the
most devastating
13. Lumberjacking
is an extremely
dangerous
occupation.
14. Global warming
is a threat that the
government is
trying to address.
15. All students
in middle school
should wear
school uniform.
16. The California
driving test should
be given every five
years from the first
time it was taken.
17. The age to buy
tobacco products
should be raised to
21 years old.
18. Military boot
camp is a degrading
and humiliating
experience.
19. It is immoral
to participate in
voluntary
suicide.
20. The hunting
of animals is a
barbaric
practice.
21. NASA and the US
government have spent
more than 30 billion
dollars to fake the
Apollo moon landings
and to perpetuate this
22. Global warming
is the most
pressing challenge
in the world today.
23. The sale of
assault weapons
should be
banned in the
24. Physician
assisted suicide
is immoral.
25. Frying or baking
starchy foods can create
high levels of a potentially
cancer-causing chemical
called acrylamide, so
those French fries that
you had at lunch today