Assignment: CRITICAL READING

For the department of English and Media studies.

By Prof DR Sohail Ansari

Dead line: 9th April

(The assignments are in compliance to instruction from higher authorities so that learning remains uninterrupted despite the closure of university)

(This assignment is 4^th  of the series of assignments calculated to initiate students into the art of reading)

CRITICAL READING: WHAT IS CRITICAL READING, AND WHY DO I NEED TO DO IT?

Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more involved, both in effort and understanding, in a critical reading than in a mere "skimming" of the text. What is the difference? If a reader "skims" the text, superficial characteristics and information are as far as the reader goes. A critical reading gets at "deep structure" (if there is such a thing apart from the superficial text!), that is, logical consistency, tone, organization, and a number of other very important sounding terms.

Critical reading involves using logical and rhetorical skills. Identifying the author's thesis is a good place to start, but to grasp how the author intends to support it is a difficult task. More often than not 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.

Critical Reading Questions

On one level, reading critically simply means asking questions and evaluating the claims, and not simply accepting what you read.

You can do it in a relatively 'logical' way, thinking about the reasoning used, the claims made based on the evidence, etc. You can also do it in a more 'political' way, where the social implications are taken into account. 

Critical Reading Questions

We might ask some of the questions below when reading a text.

Look at the questions carefully, and check that you understand what they are asking. You do not need to use all of these questions every time you read. Choose two or three which make the most sense to you, and start there.

Questions about the overall text

(a) What is the purpose/aim of this text? How do you know? How might this influence the way it is written?

(b) Can you see any justification (direct or implied) for the research decisions? Do the justifications seem reasonable?

Questions about the truth claims made within the text

(c) Are any assumptions being made in this text?
Assumptions might include:
_______________________ is important.
_______________________ is possible.
_______________________ might influence _______________________.
_______________________ is a positive thing.
_______________________ is a negative thing.

(d) Do these assumptions seem reasonable in this context? Why or why not?

(e) Are any generalisations being made? Are these generalisations reasonable here?

(f) Do any claims seem too certain?

(g) Are there suitable examples?

(h) Are there claims which are based on authority for support? What kind of authority is it? Does this seem reasonable?

(i) Are there claims which are based on evidence for support? What kind of evidence is it? Does this seem reasonable?

(j) Are any concepts being conflated?

Questions about how the text could be different

(k) What is missing from the text?

(l) How could the text be not like this / different?

(m) Is anything being used out of context in the text?

Political Questions

(n) Is there anything problematic in the text?

(o) Are any groups being excluded or marginalized in the text or in the implications of the claims?

(p) Is there any exclusionary language used in the text?

(q) What would the implications be, if we were to take the claims seriously? i.e. What would happen next?

Personal Engagement

(r) How does this text relate to my personal experience?

(s) How does my personal knowledge and experience affect  the way I read the text?

(t) Can my personal experience help me to evaluate the  claims?

(u) What status does my personal experience have, in relation to the published research?

(v) Can I find anything in the literature to help me  relate this to my personal experience?

Further Critical Questions

What else? (Can you think of further critical questions? Do you have a favourite question?)

IOE Writing Centre - UCL ...

 IOE Writing Centre has taught you the pattern of Critical Reading Questions.

 

One passage followed by questions 26 to 33 is taken from ‘501 Critical Reading Questions’.

Exercise:

Identify and classify each question; for example ‘question is assumption-based or generalization based.

Then try to questions about how the text could be different

Questions 26–33 are based on the following passages.

(Both of these passages were adapted from high school newspaper editorials concerning reality television).

PASSAGE 1

 There comes a time in every boy’s life when he becomes a man. On this fateful day, he will be swept up and put on an island to compete for one million dollars. Then, this man will realize that money can’t buy happiness. He will find his soul mate, as we all do, on national TV, picking a woman out of a line of twenty. By then it will be time for him to settle down, move to the suburbs, make friends with the neighbors, and then refurbish the neighbors’ house. Welcome to real life. That is, real life as the television networks see it. Reality TV is flawed in many ways, but the most obvious is in its name. It purports to portray reality, but no “reality” show has succeeded in this endeavor. Instead, Reality TV is an extension of fiction, and there are no writers who need to be paid. Television executives love it because it is so much cheaper to produce than any other type of programming, and it’s popular. But the truth is that there is little or no reality in Reality TV. Do you sing in the shower while dreaming of getting your own record deal? There are a couple of shows made just for you. Audition, and make the cut, so some British guy who has never sung a note can rip you to pieces on live television. Or maybe you’re lonely and fiscally challenged, and dream of walking down the aisle with a millionaire? Real marriage doesn’t involve contestants who know each other for a couple of days. The people on these shows seem to be more interested in how they look on camera than in the character of the person they might spend the rest of their life with. Let’s hope that isn’t reality. There are also about a dozen decorating shows. In one case, two couples trade rooms and redecorate for each other. The catch is, interior designers help them. This is where the problem starts. Would either couple hire someone who thinks it’s a great idea to swathe a room in hundreds of yards of muslin, or to adhere five thousand plastic flowers as a mural in a bathroom? The crimes committed against defenseless walls are outrageous. When you add the fact that the couples are in front of cameras as well as the designers, and thus unable to react honestly to what is going on, you get a new level of “unreality.”

Then there is the show that made the genre mainstream—Survivor. The show that pits men and women from all walks of life against each other for a million dollar prize in the most successful of all the Reality TV programs. What are record numbers of viewers tuning in to see? People who haven’t showered or done their laundry in weeks are shown scavenging for food and competing in ridiculous physical challenges. Where’s the reality? From the looks of it, the contestants spend most of their time, when not on a Reality TV show, driving to the Burger Barn and getting exercise only when the remote goes missing. So the television networks have used Reality TV to replace the dramas and comedies that once filled their schedules, earning millions in advertising revenue. The lack of creativity, of producing something worth watching, is appalling. We are served up hundreds of hours of Reality TV each week, so we can watch real people in very unreal situations, acting as little like themselves as possible. What’s real about that?

PASSAGE 2

Why does Reality TV get such a bad rap? Editorials on the subject blame its popularity on everything from the degenerate morals of today’s youth to our ever-decreasing attention spans. The truth is that reality-based programs have been around for decades. Candid Camera first aired in 1948, a “Cops”-like show called Wanted was on CBS’s lineup in the mid-1950s, and PBS aired a controversial 12–hour documentary filmed inside a family’s home in 1973. But it was Survivor, which debuted on American TV in the summer of 2000, which spawned the immense popularity of the “reality” genre. There are now more than 40 reality shows on the air, and, hinting that they are here to stay, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences added “Best Reality Show” as an Emmy category in 2002. Why are these shows so popular today? Are they really a sign that our morals, and our minds, are on a decline? People have been tuning in to Reality TV for generations, so what makes today’s shows any worse than their predecessors? Let’s look at a number of current, popular shows to see what the fuss is about. MTV’s The Real World has been on the air for over ten years. It places seven strangers in one house and tapes them as they live together for a few months. The show has been a ratings homerun for MTV, and tens of thousands of hopefuls audition each time they announce they are producing another show. Those who make the cut are attractive young singles not only looking for a good time, but also looking for fame, too. It’s not uncommon for them to hire a show business agent before the taping starts.

Other Reality shows take fame-seekers to the next level by having them compete against one another. American Idol, Star Search, and Fame showcase singers, actors, dancers, and model wannabes, and offer them a chance at professional success. Even those who don’t win the big prize get national television exposure, and have a better chance than they did before the show of becoming famous. Survivor offers another twist: not only can you become an instant celebrity, but you have a chance to win a million dollars. The combination of fame and money has helped to make Survivor the most popular Reality TV program of all time. But it’s not alone in the format. Big Brother combines the “group living together in a beautiful setting” concept of The Real World with a $500,000 prize, and Fear Factor pays $50,000 to the contestant who completes the most terrifying stunts. Given television’s long history of reality-based programming, why is there a problem now? Most Reality TV centers on two common motivators: fame and money. The shows have pulled waitresses, hair stylists, investment bankers, and counselors, to name a few, from obscurity to household names. These lucky few successfully parlayed their fifteen minutes of fame into celebrity. Even if you are not interested in fame, you can probably understand the desire for lots of money. Watching people eat large insects, jump off cliffs, and be filmed 24 hours a day for a huge financial reward makes for interesting viewing. What’s wrong with people wanting to be rich and famous? Not much, and, if you don’t like it, you can always change the channel.

The author’s tone in Passage 1, lines 1–7, may best be described as

a. satire concerning a man’s journey through life.

b. cynicism about the reasons people go on Reality TV shows.

 c. humor regarding the content of Reality TV.

 d. irony about the maturation process. e. sarcasm toward the television networks.

27. Based on the passages, which statement would both authors agree with?

 a. Reality TV has had a long history.

 b. Big Brother is about the desire for fame and money.

c. The popularity of Reality TV is an indication of a decline in morals.

 d. Survivor is the most successful Reality TV show.

 e. There is nothing wrong with Reality TV.

28. The primary purpose of Passage 2 is to

 a. refute an argument.

 b. explore possible outcomes.

c. give a brief history.

d. explain how to get famous.

e. show the need for change.

29. The two passages differ in that the author of Passage

  a. defends Reality TV, while the author of Passage 2 does not.

b. explains what he or she thinks is wrong with Reality TV, while the author of Passage 2 does not.

c. believes Reality TV has many faults, while the author of Passage 2 thinks no one has a problem with it.

d. blames Reality TV for the lack of variety in programming, while the author of Passage 2 thinks it has improved variety.

e. says Reality TV is cheap to produce, while the author of Passage 2 disagrees.

30. In Passage 2, line 20, the phrase ratings homerun means that

a. a lot of people watch The Real World.

b. The Real World beats baseball games in TV ratings.

c. there are baseball players on The Real World.

d. the Nielsen company likes The Real World.

e. The Real World contestants play softball on the show.

31. Both passages illustrate the idea that

a. people on Reality TV shows become famous.

b. Reality TV is all about getting rich.

c. Reality TV is a good alternative to traditional programming.

d. the producers of Reality TV are getting rich.

e. Reality TV is controversial.

32. Swathe in Passage 1, line 29 most nearly means

a. to stitch.

b. a combination of pleating and stapling.

 c. to cover.

 d. a way of making curtains.

e. to cover the floor

 33. What does the author of Passage 1 find most troublesome about Reality TV?

a. It isn’t original.

b. It doesn’t need writers to come up with scripts.

c. It invades people’s privacy.

d. It doesn’t accurately show reality.

e. It shows how shallow people are.

Read on online book:

501 Critical Reading Questions - Birmingham City Schools

And check your answers yourself from a book

Do more passages yourself from ‘501 Critical Reading Questions’ and discuss if you feel any problem.