Author's Point of View, Purpose & Responding to Conflicting Evidence

People have been debating, arguing, and trying to persuade each other for thousands of years. Long before newspapers, websites, or social media existed, speakers and writers shaped opinions through carefully chosen words. Understanding why someone writes something—and what they believe—has always been a critical skill. Here's a quick look at how people have thought about this idea through history.

So here's the big question this lesson answers: How do you figure out what an author believes, why they wrote a piece, and whether they deal fairly with ideas that go against their own? Let's find out.

Before we dig into examples, you need to know four key terms. These are the building blocks for everything in this lesson. Think of them like the rules of a game—once you know them, you can play much better.

Let's look at a diagram that shows how all these pieces fit together in a well-written argument. Notice how the author's claim sits at the center, supported by evidence—but also connected to counterarguments that the author addresses.

As you can see in the diagram above, a strong informational text doesn't just state a claim and pile on evidence. It also reaches out to the other side. The author acknowledges the counterargument—the opposing viewpoint or conflicting evidence—and then responds to it with a rebuttal. When an author does this well, it actually makes their original claim stronger, not weaker. That's because it shows the reader that the author has thought about the issue from multiple angles.

Now let's talk about the actual skills you need. When you read an informational text, you're like a detective looking for clues. Here's a step-by-step process you can use every time.

Step 1 — Find the Claim (Point of View)

The author's claim is usually stated near the beginning of the text, often in the introduction. Look for strong opinion words like "should," "must," "need to," or "it is essential that." Sometimes the claim is more subtle—the author might not say "I believe" directly. Instead, they might use phrases like "research shows that" or "the evidence makes it clear that." These phrases still reveal a point of view.

Step 2 — Identify the Purpose

Ask yourself: Is this author trying to teach me something new (inform), convince me of something (persuade), or share an interesting story (entertain)? Most informational texts you'll see in school are either informative or persuasive—or both. A persuasive text has a clear opinion. An informative text tries to present facts without taking a strong side.

Step 3 — Spot the Evidence

Evidence is anything the author uses to back up their claim. This could be statistics (numbers and data), expert quotes, real-life examples, or research findings. Circle or highlight these as you read. They're the "proof" the author is offering.

Step 4 — Look for the Counter

Here's where things get really interesting. Good authors bring up ideas that disagree with their own. Watch for signal phrases like: "Some people argue that…," "Critics say…," "On the other hand…," "While it is true that…," or "Opponents of this idea claim…" These phrases tell you the author is about to present a counterargument or conflicting evidence.

Step 5 — Evaluate the Response

Once the author mentions the opposing view, what do they do with it? There are several possibilities. They might refute it (prove it wrong with evidence). They might concede a small point (admit the other side has one valid idea, but argue their own position is still better). Or they might dismiss it (wave it away without real evidence, which is a weaker move). How the author handles the opposition tells you a lot about the quality of their argument.

Authors don't all handle opposing views the same way. Some do it really well, and some do it poorly. Let's break down the different strategies an author might use. This second diagram shows a spectrum from weakest to strongest responses.

Notice how the five response strategies range from ignoring the opposition (weakest) to refuting it with evidence (strongest). When you analyze a text, ask yourself: "Where does this author fall on the spectrum?" An author who lands on the right side is building a much more convincing argument.

Let's put everything together with a complete example. Below is a short passage, and we'll walk through each step to identify the author's point of view, purpose, and how they handle opposing evidence.

Not all authors handle opposing viewpoints equally well. Here's a comparison showing what makes a response strong versus weak, so you can evaluate any text you read.

Here's an important thing to remember: just because an author mentions a counterargument doesn't mean they handled it well. You need to look at how they responded. Did they provide real evidence, or did they just wave it away? Did they treat the opposing view respectfully, or did they use insults? These details matter when you're evaluating the quality of an argument.

The skills you're learning here don't just help you on reading tests—they connect to much bigger ideas you'll encounter in high school and beyond. Understanding point of view and how authors handle opposition is a foundation for many advanced skills.

In high school, you'll learn about rhetorical analysis, where you break down not just what an author says but how they say it—including their word choice, sentence structure, and emotional appeals. You'll also learn about logical fallacies (errors in reasoning), which will help you spot when an author's response to a counterargument is actually flawed. For now, the most important thing is to develop the habit of asking: What does this author believe? Why? And are they being fair to the other side?

Time to try it yourself! Read each question carefully, think about your answer, and then click "Show Answer" to check your work. The problems get harder as you go—challenge yourself!