MODULE: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES

Chapter 2: Reading Text Critically

Objectives:
a. Explain what critical reading is.
b. Annotate, outline, summarize, and question the writer's claim in a text.
c. Evaluate whether an argument is sound logical or not.
d. Analyze a text by applying the different ways in reading critically.

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Critical Reading

What Is Critical Reading?

Imagine that you are reading a magazine and you see the following statements:
 Girls most likely do well in academics during high school years but boys get ahead
of them in college.
 Female teenagers are more concerned with their physical appearance than male
teenagers.

Do you believe and agree with the statements after reading them? Would you
question their veracity? How would you react after reading the statements?
If you question the validity of the statements by asking the person to give the basis
for his/her assertions, then you are one step closer to becoming a critical reader.
Do you believe and agree with the statements after reading them? Would you
question their veracity? How would you react after reading the statements?
If you question the validity of the statements by asking the person to give the basis
for his/her assertions, then you are one step closer to becoming a critical reader.

What is Critical Reading?

“Critical reading is an active process.” - Gary Goshgarian

Critical reading is an active process of discovery because

when you read critically, you are not just writing
information but also making an interaction with the writer.
The interaction happens when you question the writer’s
claims and assertions when you comment on the writer’s
ideas.

Critical reading is an analytic activity.

Critical Reading involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear. It means not
easily believing information offered to you by a text.

“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe or take and take for granted; nor to
find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.”–Francis Bacon, The Essays

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Ramage, Bean and Johnson (2006) identified the following requirements in critical
thinking:
 The ability to pose problematic questions.
 The ability to analyze a problem in all its dimensions—to define its key terms,
determine its causes, understand its history, appreciate its human dimension and
its connection to one's own personal experience, and appreciate what makes it
problematic or complex
 The ability to find, gather, and interpret data, facts, and other information relevant
to the problem
 The ability to imagine alternative solutions to the problem, to see different ways in
which the question might be answered and different perspectives for viewing it
 The ability to analyze competing approaches and answers, to construct arguments
for and against alternatives, and to choose the best solution in the light of values,
objectives, and other criteria that you determine and articulate
 The ability to write an effective argument justifying your choice while
acknowledging counter-arguments

The following are some suggested ways to help you become a critical reader:

1. Annotate what you read. One of the ways to interact with the writer is to write on
the text. You can underline, circle, or highlight words, phrases, or sentences that
contain important details, or you can write marginal notes asking questions or
commenting on the ideas of the writer. There are no clear and definite guidelines
to annotating a text; you can create your own style. For instance, you can circle
unfamiliar words or underline ideas that you think are questionable. You can use
the sample annotated essay below as your guide.

2. Outline the text. In order to fully engage in a dialogue with the text or with the
writer of the text, you need to identify the main points of the writer and list them
down so you can also identify the ideas that the writer has raised to support his/her
stand. You don't necessarily have to write a structured sentence or topic outline
for this purpose; you can just write in bullet or in numbers.

3. Summarize the text. Aside from outlining, you can also get the main points of the
text you are reading and write its gist in your own words. This will test how much
you have understood the text and will help you evaluate it critically. A summary is
usually one paragraph long.

4. Evaluate the text. The most challenging part in critical reading is the process of
evaluating what you are reading. This is the point where the other three
techniques—annotating, outlining, summarizing—will be helpful. When you
evaluate a text, you question the author's purpose and intentions, as well as his/her

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assumptions in the claims. You also check if the arguments are supported by
evidence and if the evidence are valid and are from credible sources.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE

For further reading please refer to the link provided:
How to analyse text critically?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXMd0oS47sU
How to be a Critical Reader?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw5ODCwxm9s
• https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-become-a-critical-
reader-739790

Book
Saqueton, Grace M. & Uychangco, Marikit Tara A. 2016
English for Academic & Professional Purposes.
Quezon City: REX book Store Inc. REX Knowledge Center.

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