TEXT and CONTEXT

CONNECTIONS
Critical Reading
• Whenever you read something and you evaluate claims, seek definitions,
judge information, demand proof, and question assumptions, you are
thinking critically. (Tiongson & Rodriguez, 2016)
• It means not taking anything at face value. It is watching out for author's
limitations, omissions, oversights, and arguments in the text.
• It is a skill that goes beyond the reading of the written text. The reader takes
an effort to create images and pictorial concepts through his sense
impressions of the words written by the author.
I. Critical Readings as ways of Thinking
A. Critical Approach to Reading
• Readers should always bear in mind that no test, however well-written and
authoritative, contains its own predetermined meaning. Everything is
subject to the reader’s own interpretation, understanding, and acceptance of
the text material.
• To be a critical reader, one should interact with the material being read. Look
for the connections between the texts. Ask questions; and then, respond to
the questions; or expand the ideas by giving more examples.
• To create meaning for the text read, use a variety of approaches, strategies,
and techniques to connect to the presentation of the text.
B. Identifying and Analyzing Claims
• Defining explicit and implicit information- Critical reading also
means that you are able to distinguish the information that is
clearly stated (explicit) in the text from the ideas that are suggested
(implicit). This will help you make inferences about what you read.
• Defining Claim- The claim is the most important part of the text.
The quality and complexity of the reading depend on the claim
because the claim defines the paper’s direction and scope. The
claim is a sentence that summarizes the most important thing that
the writer wants to say as a result of his/her thinking, reading, or
writing.
Characteristics of good claims:
• A claim should be argumentative and • A claim should be specific and
debatable. focused.
When the writer makes a claim, he/she is making a If the claim is unfocused, the paper will
case for a particular perspective on the topic.
be too broad in scope and will lack
direction and a clear connection to the
Readers expect to be able to raise objections to your
support provided. It may also lead to
claim and they can only raise objections if the claim
overgeneralizations and vague
is something that can be reasonably challenged.
assertions.
Claims that are only factual or based on opinion,
thus, are not debatable.
 • A claim should be interesting and
engaging.
It should hook the reader, who may or
may not agree with you, to encourage
them to consider your perspective and
learn something new from you.
• A claim should be logical.
It should result from reasonable
weighing of support provided.
Here are some questions to help you
determine the writer’s claim while
you are reading a text:
i. What is the author’s main point?
ii. What is the author’s position
regarding it?
Distinguishing Between the Types of Claim
a. Claims of fact
• It states a quantifiable assertion or a measurable topic. They assert that
something has existed, exists, or will exist base on data. They rely on
reliable sources or systematic procedures to be validated; this is what
makes them different from inferences.
• Claims of fact usually answer a “what” question. When determining
whether something is a claim of fact, the following questions are useful.
i. Is this issue related to a possible cause or effect?
ii. Is this statement true or false? How can its truthfulness be verified?
iii. Is this claim controversial or debatable?
b. Claims of Value
• Assert something that can be qualified. They consist of arguments about moral,
philosophical, or aesthetic topics. These types of topics try to prove that some values
are more or less desirable compared to others. They make judgments, based on
certain standards, on whether something is right or wrong, good or bad, or
something similar.
• Attempts to prove that there are things that are more or less valuable and desirable.
It involves judgments, evaluation, and appraisals.
• Claims of value attempt to explain how problems, situations, or issues ought to be
valued. In order to discover these explanations, you may ask the following questions:
i. What claims endorse what is good or right?
ii.What qualities should be considered good? Why is that so?
iii.Which of these values contend with others? Which ones are more important,
and why? Whose standards are used?
iv. What are some concrete examples of such values?
c. Claims of Policy
• Posit that specific actions should be chosen as solutions to a particular
problem. You can easily identify a claim of policy because they begin with
“should,” “ought to,’ or “must.” Claims of policy, because they defend
actionable plans, usually answer “how” questions.
• The following questions will be useful in evaluating a claim of policy:
i.Does the claim suggest a specific remedy to solve the problem?
ii. Is the policy clearly defined?
iii. Is the need for the policy established?
iv.Is the policy the best one available? For whom? According to whose
standards?
v. How does the policy solve the problem?
 Identifying the Context of
Text Development
Context - is defined as the social, cultural, political, historical,
and other related circumstances that surround the text and
form the terms from which it can be better understood and
evaluated.
• In discovering a reading’s context, you may ask questions
like:
• When was the work written?
• What were the circumstances that produced it?
• What issues does it deal with?
 • Intertextuality
It is the modeling of a text’s meaning by another text. It is defined as
the connections between language, images, characters, themes, or
subjects depending on their similarities in language, genre, or
discourse.
In this strategy, the author borrows a prior text from another author
and integrates it in his writing. This way, the readers are able to see
the interrelationship among texts and are able to generate a deeper
understanding of the topic being discussed.
Hypertext – is a non-linear way of showing information. It
connects topics on the screen to related information, graphics,
or videos that are related to the text. This information appears
as links and is usually accessed by clicking. The reader can
jump to more information about a topic, which in turn may
have more links. This opens up the reader a wider horizon of
information or to a new direction.
II.Critical Reading as Reasoning
A. Identifying Assertions

- Assertions are declarative sentences that claim something is

true about something else. It is a sentence that is either true or
false.
 4 Types of Assertions
Fact – is a statement that can be
proven objectively by direct
experience, testimonies of witnesses,
verified observations, or the results
of research.
Example: The Sampaguita’s roots are
used for medicinal purposes, such as
an
anesthetic and sedative.
Convention – is a way in which
something is done, similar to
traditions and norms. It depends
on historical precedent, laws,
rules, usage, and customs.
Example: The Sampaguita belongs
to the genus Jasminum of the
family Oleaceae.
Opinion – is based on facts but
are difficult to objectively verify
because of the uncertainty of
producing satisfactory proof of
soundness.
Example: The popularity of
Sampaguita is most evident in
places of worship.
Preference – is based on
personal choice; they are
subjective and cannot be
objectively proven or
logically attacked.
Example: Sampaguitas are
the most beautiful and most
fragrant of all flowers.
B. Formulating Counterclaims
Counterclaims are claims made to rebut a previous claim. They provide a contrasting
perspective to the main argument.

The following questions will help you formulate a counterclaim:

• What are the major points on which you and the author can disagree?
• What is their strongest argument? What did they say to defend their position?
• What are the merits of their view?
• What are the weaknesses or shortcomings in their argument?
• Are there any hidden assumptions?
• Which lines from the text best support the counterclaim you have formulated?
C. Determining Textual Evidence
The evidence is defined as details given by the author in order to support his/her claim.
The evidence provided by the author substantiates the text. It reveals and builds on the
position of the writer and makes the reading more interesting.
• Evidence can include the following:
• Facts and statistics (objectively validated information on your subject)
• Opinion from experts (leading authorities on a topic, like researchers or academics)
• Personal anecdotes (generalized, relevant, and objectively considered)
2. The following are some questions to help you determine evidence
from the text:

• What questions can you ask about the
claims?
• Which details in the text answer your
questions?
• What are the most important details in the
paragraph?
• What is each one’s relationship to the claim?
• How does the given detail reinforce the
claim?
• What details do you find interesting? Why
so?
• What are some claims that do not seem to
have support? What kinds of support
could they be provided with?
• What are some details that you find
questionable? Why do you think so?
• Are some details outdated, inaccurate,
exaggerated, or taken out of context?
• Are the sources reliable?
 3. The following are the characteristics of a good
evidence:
• unified
• relevant to the central point
• specific and concrete
• accurate; and
• representative or typical