Critical Reading

for Undergraduate
Students

WEEK 2

SEMESTER I-2020/2021
 How are you? I hope you
are in good health!

Lusia Marliana Nurani, Ph.D

(Bu Lusi)
lusia.m.nurani@gmail.com
Paragraph
Structure

LESSON 2
 The First Part:
Topics & Main Ideas

I
 TOPIC OF A PARAGRAPH

Topic: The subject of a paragraph

(what the paragraph is about)

TOPIC:
Sending cards in
North America
Source: Blanchard, K. in Root,
C. 2003. Ready to Write. NY:
Pearson Education - Longman.
North Americans send cards for many occasions.
They send cards to family and friends on
birthdays and holidays. They also send thank-
you cards, get well cards, graduation cards, and
congratulation cards. It is very common to buy
cards in stores and send them through the mail,
but turning on the computer and sending cards
over the Internet is also popular.
 Another Example

When PETA sent investigators with hidden cameras

into a KFC “Supplier of the Year” slaughterhouse in
Moorefield, West Virginia, what they found was
TOPIC: enough to make KFC choke on its own pink publicity
Cruelty to animals stunts. Workers were caught on video stomping on
chickens, kicking them and violently slamming them
against floors and walls. Workers were also filmed
ripping at the animals' beaks off, twisting their heads
off, spitting tobacco into their eyes and mouths,
spray-painting their faces, and squeezing their bodies
so hard that the birds expelled feces--all while the
chickens were still alive.
 MAIN IDEA OF A PARAGRAPH

Main Idea: The key concept being

expressed

MAIN IDEA:
Popular tradition North Americans send cards for many occasions.
of sending cards They send cards to family and friends on
in North America birthdays and holidays. They also send thank-
you cards, get well cards, graduation cards, and
congratulation cards. It is very common to buy
cards in stores and send them through the mail,
but turning on the computer and sending cards
Source: Blanchard, K. in Root,
over the Internet is also popular.
C. 2003. Ready to Write. NY:
Pearson Education - Longman.
 Another Example

When PETA sent investigators with hidden cameras

into a KFC “Supplier of the Year” slaughterhouse in
Moorefield, West Virginia, what they found was
MAIN IDEA: enough to make KFC choke on its own pink publicity
Mistreatment of stunts. Workers were caught on video stomping on
chickens in a KFC chickens, kicking them and violently slamming them
slaughterhouse against floors and walls. Workers were also filmed
ripping at the animals' beaks off, twisting their heads
off, spitting tobacco into their eyes and mouths,
spray-painting their faces, and squeezing their bodies
so hard that the birds expelled feces--all while the
chickens were still alive.
 TOPIC:
MAIN IDEA:
The BROAD,
The KEY concept
GENERAL theme
being expressed
or message

Sending cards in North America

><
Popular tradition of sending cards in
North America

Cruelty to animals
><
Mistreatment of chickens in a KFC
slaughterhouse
The Second Part:
Topic Sentences

II
Picture credit: https://writebetter.io/english-writing/the-topic-sentence/

A is a statement that
tells what the paragraph will be about.
A topic sentence should:

• State the main idea,

• Include or summarize reasons that
support main idea,
• Make a claim about the main idea of
the paragraph, and
• Must be a SENTENCE
Leaving the family home is The most exciting and
a difficult experience for important part of a youth’s
some college students. life is leaving the family
home.
A topic sentence consists of
TWO elements:

1. Narrowed topic
2. Controlling idea
Leaving the family The most exciting and
home is a difficult important part of a
experience for some youth’s life is leaving
college students. the family home.

(a) Leaving the family (a) leaving the family

home: narrowed topic home: narrowed topic

(b) A difficult (b) The most exciting

experience for some and important part of
college students: a youth’s life:
controlling idea controlling idea
 BAD TOPIC SENTENCES

1. Incomplete

Example:
Living alone
(This is a topic but NOT a topic sentence)

Revision:
There are many advantages to living
alone.
2. Announcement

Example:
I will write about nursing.

Revision:
Nurses need to be in good physical
and psychological health
3. Invalid

Example:
Today's students have more
responsibilities than those in the past.

(“Is this really true? This might be a

hard assertion to prove.”)
4. Vague

Example:
Today's students are too weak.

(“How are they weak?”)

5. Too broad

Example:
There are too many good libraries.

6. Too narrow

Example:
The college library is located beside the student
center.

Revision:
The college library, which is beside the student
center, contains valuable resources for students.
The topic sentence is located in the
first sentence of the paragraph. The
topic sentence is a strong, general
statement with subsequent
supporting details narrowing from
this broad beginning.
This structure will help readers to
predict the details that follow.

Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement
 Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement

EXAMPLE

Constructing a wedding cake is a complicated process. Before any baking

takes place, the size of the cake and the decorative design to be used must be
determined. Then the layers are baked. On a large cake the bottom layers
may be as much as sixteen inches in diameter. Because of their size, these
layers must be baked one at a time, a process which may actually take an
entire day. Once the layers are cooled, same-size pairs are matched and
frosted. Since large wedding cakes are surprisingly heavy, half-inch dowel
rods must be measured, cut, and carefully driven into the bottom layers.
These wooden posts provide hidden support for the weighty upper layers.
When all the layers are set in place, flowers, garlands and leaves of frosting
are added. These delicate touches individualize the wedding cake and
transform it from merely a cake into a culinary work of art.
The topic sentence is located in the
beginning of the paragraph. It is to
introduce the examples or details which
will explain the controlling idea.

The topic in the topic sentence is also

found in the final sentence of the
paragraph as a concluding statement.

This way of writing will help readers to

follow the content of the paragraph,
particularly for a paragraph whose
content is complex.

Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement
 Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement

EXAMPLE

Throwing a clay pot, the age old art of making pottery on a wheel, is a process that
requires many steps. Assuming the potter does not have to make his own clay, the first
step toward the finished product is wedging the clay. Here, the potter kneads the clay to
prepare it for throwing. Wedging cannot be rushed. A minimum of fifty turns is required to
rid the clay of air pockets and align its molecules. Once wedged and formed into a ball, the
clay is thrown onto the center of a potter's wheel. Now the material must be centered.
Centering not only takes strength but time as well. The clay must be coerced into a
perfectly symmetrical shape, dead center on the spinning wheel. To proceed with poorly
centered clay is to court certain disaster in the form of tilting, uneven pots, or worse, the
total collapse of the piece. When correctly centered, the clay is ready to be opened. To do
this, the potter finds the center of the clay and slowly sinks a rigid finger into the still-
spinning clay. Only now can the clay be shaped. With a steady but gentle hand, the potter
pulls up the sides of the pot until the desired height is reached. Now the shaping is
completed and the pot is ready to be dried, fired, and glazed. Thus, even though a clay pot
may appear simple to make, fashioning one by hand is a long and sometimes tedious
process.
When the topic sentence is placed last, it
serves to summarize the previous details.

Paragraphs are written in this form

primarily for one of two reasons: (1) to
create suspense or (2) to bring up a
controversial topic only after sufficient
groundwork has been laid.

The act of providing convincing data or

groundwork leads the reader to the topic
sentence, which then also serves as the
conclusion.

Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement
 Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement

EXAMPLE

People do it everyday. They log on to their favorite website and browse for
hours, checking out bargains. They dump every possible wish into their
shopping carts, knowing they can cast each one aside before they finalize
their purchases. On the way, they may enter a sweepstakes in the hopes of
winning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, or maybe even a new SUV. And then, when
they have decided on their purchases, they enter private information without
giving it a thought. With a keystroke, they release their personal data into
what may or may not be a secure zone. Despite what much of the public
believes, internet shopping is not safe.
This is the least common placement for a
topic sentence.

The topic sentence is to provide a

transition between two kinds of details,
t h o s e a p p e a r i n g b efo re t h e to p i c
sentence and those appearing after it.

In this paragraph structure, the

controlling idea may be of a cause/effect
or comparison/contrast nature. The topic
sentence, then, serves the function of
linking sets of related but different data.

Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement
 Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement

EXAMPLE

When a camera flash is used in a low-light environment, the

subject's eyes may appear red in the finished photograph. What
is known as "red-eye" is the result of light from the flash
reflecting off the pupils of the eyes. The phenomenon of red-eye
can be lessened by using the red-eye reduction feature found
on many SLR cameras. This feature activates a lamp which shines
a small light directly into the subject's eyes. When this happens,
the diameter of the pupil is reduced, thus tightening the opening
in the iris. Since a smaller pupil means a smaller host for the
reflection, the chances of red-eye occurring are greatly reduced.
 The Third Part:
Supporting Sentences

III
 HOW TO WRITE SUPPORTING SENTENCES?

STEP 1: Generating supporting ideas

Topic Sentence:
Zion Market is one of the busiest and best Korean markets.

products are of good quality, fruits

and vegetables can be found
everywhere in the market, prices of
products are low, many people in
the market, employees are kind,
very noisy
 STEP 2: Selecting the best supporting ideas

Topic Sentence:
Zion Market is one of the busiest and best Korean markets.

products are of good

quality, prices of
products are low,
employees are kind
 STEP 3: Composing supporting sentences

Topic Sentence:
Zion Market is one of the busiest and best Korean markets.

Support 1 : products are of good quality

Details : -fruits and vegetables are fresh
-clear colors of fruits
-delicious, juicy and sweet

Support 2 : prices of products are low

Details : -better prices than in other markets
-sales every weekend

Support 3 : employees are kind

Details : -there are no quarrels between customers and employees
-manager responds quickly to requests.
 RESULT

Zion Market is a busy and popular Korean market because it has three
characteristics: good quality, low prices, and kind employees. Shopping in
Zion Market makes me excited because I can find many products of good
quality, especially the fruits. They are all fresh. Their colors are clear. They are
delicious, flavorful, juicy, and sweet. In addition, the prices of many products
are lower than those in other markets. Every weekend, different kind of
products are on sale. All the employees are very kind. I have never had
uncomfortable situation or witnessed any quarrels between customers and
employees. The manager keeps walking around the market and the head of
each section responds quickly to the requests of the customers. The fruit
section manager suggests which fruit is the tastiest. His happy face makes me
feel good. These three characteristics make this market one of the busiest
markets.
PRACTICE

IV
 Source: https://www.rit.edu/ntid/sea/processes/paragraph/process/placement

What is the TOPIC, MAIN IDEA, and TOPIC SENTENCE of the

paragraph below?

Constructing a wedding cake is a complicated process. Before any baking

takes place, the size of the cake and the decorative design to be used must be
determined. Then the layers are baked. On a large cake the bottom layers
may be as much as sixteen inches in diameter. Because of their size, these
layers must be baked one at a time, a process which may actually take an
entire day. Once the layers are cooled, same-size pairs are matched and
frosted. Since large wedding cakes are surprisingly heavy, half-inch dowel
rods must be measured, cut, and carefully driven into the bottom layers.
These wooden posts provide hidden support for the weighty upper layers.
When all the layers are set in place, flowers, garlands and leaves of frosting
are added. These delicate touches individualize the wedding cake and
transform it from merely a cake into a culinary work of art.
TOPIC: Making a wedding cake

MAIN IDEA: Complicated process of making a

wedding cake

TOPIC SENTENCE:
Constructing a wedding cake is a complicated process.

NARROWED TOPIC
CONTROLLING IDEA
 BAD TOPIC SENTENCES

1. Privacy issues on social media

Problem: .................
Revision: .................

2. I will give my opinion about the influence of

celebrities on society.
Problem: ....................
Revision: .....................
THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!