Critical Reading Skills

Questioning, Comparing, and

Evaluating

Critical Reading
Critical reading is active reading.
The reader must question, compare, and

evaluate reading material.

Reasons for Critical Reading

Critical reading is used to determine the

value of reading material for your own

purposes, to detect logic that is faulty on
the part of the author, to separate fact
from opinion, and to determine whether
to accept the information being
presented or reject it.

True or False
Simply because something is published

doesnt make it necessarily true.

Therefore, you must question what you
read.
By comparing information on the same
subject from different sources, you can
select the best information for your own
purposes.

Decision Making
Critical reading helps you make informed

decisions and form sound opinions.

Questions to Consider
When reading critically ask yourself the

following: Is the author qualified to write

about the subject, is any important
information missing, is the language
emotional, and is the information being
presented mostly fact or opinion?
The answers to these questions will help
you evaluate the quality and usefulness
of the reading material.

Source
Hancock, Ophelia. Reading Skills for

College Students. 7th ed. Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007.