What is the difference between a point, a claim, a premise and an argument in academic reading terms and in academic writing terms?

Answer 1

A premise is an assumption of truth that one uses to draw a conclusion, or to base an argument off of.

Example: Based on the premise that...... we can conclude that....

OR

Based on the premise that.... it can be argued that...

A claim is a statement used to support one's argument. Multiple claims can be used to support an argument. Claims are arguable and must be supported with evidence.

An argument is your main claim. Your other claims work to support this claim.

To recap:

An argument is your "main claim". This is the point that you are trying to get across.

Your argument will be supported by smaller "arguments" called claims. These claims require supporting evidence and research.

From your claims, assuming they are true, you form a premise that leads to the conclusion. Alternatively, your entire argument could have been based off the premise that something else was true.

Example:

Premise: A lot of people eat pizza.

Argument: Pizza is the best meal.

Claim: Pizza can be made healthy and nutrient dense with a variety of toppings.

Claim: People love to eat pizza.

Claim: Pizza is inexpensive to make and can be done so in the comfort of one's own home.

Under the premise that everything written above is true, I conclude that pizza is the best meal.

This is obviously a silly example and I did not support my claims with evidence or research; however, I hope this cleared things up for you.