Reading an Article

This worksheet is intended to serve as a guide for reading a scholarly article. Completing
this sheet as you read an article will help you understand the point the author is making and
how he or she has gone about doing so. It also provides an opportunity to evaluate the clarity
and effectiveness of the article.

1) Identify what kind of article it is. Check all that apply and be ready to explain why.

a. __ New Research. Does it present research on an important topic that has not
yet been studied to any real extent? Articles of this type may present new
research or the analysis and translation of a significant primary source.

- For me it is a new research due to the assumption and conclusion that is

presented by the author in his literary piece. Fernando Palanco Assumed
that the revolutions that happened in the era of Diego Silang is due to
demographic growth and land, the inter-province trade and lastly, the
situation created by the phenomenon wherein the Britain occupied
Manila. Also, one of my reasons why did I infer that it is a new research,
because it has conclusion.

b. ____ Old View/New View. Is the author presenting new research and/or analysis
to show how previous analysis of the question under consideration is
inaccurate or incorrect?

c. ____ Review Article. Is the author presenting summaries of past research on a

topic (usually one that has a long history of study) by a variety of different
scholars, in order to show the state of research on the topic?

d. ____ Standard Textbook or Encyclopedia Entry. Does the author seem to be

presenting information in a way that suggests it is generally accepted in the
field as correct? Articles of this type usually lack references to other
published work and are relatively general and brief.

2) Identify unknown vocabulary and technical terms.

Read through the article, and at the arrow below, list all the unknown words and
phrases you encounter. Look up the words you find and add the definition next to each.
If you can’t find the meaning of a word (often the case with foreign words), offer a
tentative definition for it based on context clues or any other means you can. Bring
these to class for discussion.
1. Mestizo – a man of mixed race, especially one having Spanish and
indigenous descent.
2. Principalia – noble class was the ruling and usually educated
upper class
3. Principales – I means “the main”
4. Pariancillo – a “small market place,”
5. Oidor – Former judge who at the hearings of the kingdom heard
and sentenced the causes and lawsuits.
6. Alcabala – a sales tax of up to fourteen percent
7. Casa Real – house of alcalde
8. Gobernadorcillos – it means governor general
9. Cedulas – the tax slip in the Spanish era

3) Identify the authors point.

Study the introduction and conclusion of the article and determine what the authors

William Londo ©2012

 Reading an Article

point is. Authors should state this clearly, but sometimes they make their readers work
for it.
a. If it is New Research (a. above), make note of how the author states the
question or questions she or he examined and what his answer to the question
is.
- According on how I understood the authors point, he examined what are
the causes of the uprisings that happened in Ilocos Del Norte. After
analyzing the information gathered from his sources he assumed that it
due to demographic growth and land, the inter-province trade, and the
situation created by the phenomenon wherein the Britain occupied
Manila. Also he showed the outcome of Diego Silang’s revolt wherein he
used it to give us idea that Silang is a good leader but not a good
decision maker due to his beliefs. Lastly, he leaves his readers a
question if Diego Silang is worthy to be called a hero.
b. If it is an Old View/New View article (b. above), identify the other scholars the
author is responding to, what the old view is, and what the new view is that he or
she is offering.
c. If it is a review article, identify the purpose for the author gives for presenting the
review, and note if he proposes directions for further research.
d. If it is a Standard Entry (d. above), you need only summarize the material
presented, unless a clear point can be determined.

4) Determine the organization of the article.

First, if the article has subheadings, identify each subheading with its page number. If
there are no subheadings, work through the article paragraph by paragraph and divide
the article into subsections that you assign subheadings to, based on what you see the
author doing in each subsection. Give the page number on which each of your
subsections begins. Then, sketch out a rough outline of the article using the
subheadings you have, and briefly describe the sub-point the author is making under
each subheading and what evidence the author uses to make each point. Be sure to
distinguish between what the author is saying and what the other scholars he is quoting
are saying. Also note, if you can, why the author has chosen to organize the article the
way he or she has. Provide the information requested above at the arrow below. Give
as much detail as you need.

 Pedro del Vivar's Report, Testimonio de Autos, Other Documentary

Sources (Pages 512 – 514: It shows the sources that the author used in
his study)
 Some Important Aspects from a Historical Context, Demographic Growth
and the Land Problem, Commerce, The Occupation of Manila and the
Pangasinan Rebellion ( Pages 115 – 518: it illustrates what are the
causes of revolts that happened in Ilocos Norte).
 Diego Silang's Background, The Uptising, The Origins, Various Versions
on the Events of 14 December 1762, The Clash for Power Between
Bishop Bernardo Ustariz and Diego Silang, Diego Silang'e Government,
Alliance with the British, Christian Piety and Pagan Ritualism in the
Uprising, Silang's Assassination (Pages 518 – 530: talks about the
involvement of Diego silang in the revolts and his downfall).
 Second Uprising and Its Suppression by the Northern Towns (pages 530
– 532).
 Author’s Conclusion (Pages 532 – 533)

2 of 3
 Reading an Article

5) Give an evaluation of the article.

At the arrow below, answer the following questions in as much detail as you need:
a. How effective has the author been in making his or her point (as determined in
2) above)?
 For me, it is quite effective in making his point due to the sequence of the
data he’d presented. But some information in his study made me confused
somewhat wherein it took me time to understand the author’s point because I
didn’t get immediately if to whom Diego Silang is against with. Also I got
confused if what is the focus of the study is about, if it is focused on the
revolt or on Silang’s title as a hero.
b. Does the article make the point the author intended, and why or why not?
 Base on my perception, in some point the article showed me the intended
idea of the author due to its content that is overflowing on information about
the revolt and the life of Diego Silang, and also the about before and after
phenomenon that occurred. But I’m quite confused if his study is just about
the revolt of Silang or about the title of him.
c. Was the article logically organized and clearly presented? If so, what was
effective about it, and if not, what problems were there? If you found the article
confusing, explain why, giving specific examples with page numbers in your
explanation.
 After reading the literary piece, I concluded that yes the author organized
and clearly presented the informations that he presented to his audience. In
addition, he arranged the information by first giving information about his
sources, telling the causes of uprising, the pre-revolt period and lastly, the
times after the revolt. I just got slightly confused after reading the conclusion
in page 533 wherein where do he really focus, on the revolt or on the title of
Diego Silang? But that is not a big deal because I think the author really
intended to leave question in the mind of his viewers.

d. State what you learned from the article. What do you know now that you didn’t
before? This may include information that was not part of the authors point.
 Things that I have learned is that I discovered that Deigo Silang was not only
into cult but also in Christianism also. Also, I have learned that in the Spanish
period married women don’t use the last name of their husbands.
e. Finally, what questions does the article leave in your mind? What more do you
think you need to know to have a fuller understanding of the subject of the
article?

 There is only one question remains in my mind about that thing, is Diego
Silang is worthy to be called a hero or just a leader?

Racelis,Joshua G. (BSBA MM 1-4)

Diego Silang’s Revolt: A New Approach by Fernando Palanco Translated by Jose S.

Arcillia, S.J.

3 of 3