Critical Reading Activity

This is a critical reading exercise.

“Critical reading involves identifying the author's thesis/argument is a good place to start, but to
grasp how the author intends to support it is a difficult task. Often an author will make a claim
(most commonly in the form of the thesis) and support it in the body of the text. The support for
the author's claim is in the evidence provided to suggest that the author's intended argument is
sound, or reasonably acceptable. What ties these two together is a series of logical links that
convinces the reader of the coherence of the author's argument: this is the warrant. If the author's
premise is not supportable, a critical reading will uncover the lapses in the text that show it to be
unsound” https://www.csuohio.edu/writing-center/critical-reading-what-critical-reading-and-
why-do-i-need-do-it

Outcomes
After completing this exercise. Students should be:
 Critically read an academic article.
 Identify a thesis statement.
 Identify key arguments authors make.
 Identify supporting arguments.
 Identify conclusions authors draw.

Activity Instructions
Find the article written by Tahir Gur and colleagues in 2013 titled: “ THE IMPACT OF NOTE-TAKING
WHILE LISTENING ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION IN A HIGHER EDUCATION CONTEXT. ” Read the
article and answer the following questions.

1. What is the key argument/thesis statement?

2. What is the significance of the study performed?
3. What are the main sections in this article?
4. Name a note taking strategy mentioned in this article.
5. Describe the methods used by the authors to prove their argument?
6. Which conclusions do the authors make?
7. What are the lingering possibilities?