I-ACCESS 2019-2020

1ST QUARTER
EAPP: HANDOUTS
GRADE 11: THEYME, STEVIA, FENNEL, CHIVES
INSTRUCTOR: EMMANUEL A. ENDRIGA

WHAT IS CRITICAL READING?

Critical Reading – involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear. Critical reading means not easily
believing information offered to you by a text. “Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for
granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider” as Francis Bacon stated in “The Essay”.

Critical reading – is an active process of discovery because when you read critically, you are not just receiving
information but also making an interaction with the writer. The interaction happens when you question the writer’s
claims and assertions and when you comment on the writer’s ideas.

Ramage, Bean, and Johnson (2006) identified the following requirements in critical thinking:

1. The ability to pose problematic questions

2. The ability to analyze a problem in all its dimension to define its key terms, determine the 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.
3. The ability to find, gather, and interpret data, facts, and other information relevant to the problem
4. 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.
5. 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
6. 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. Summarizing 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 authors purpose and intentions, as well as his/her
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.

These four suggested ways in reading critically are not isolated process that are independent of each other;
they are overlapping process that are independent of each other; they are overlapping process that you can
use simultaneously as you engage in a dialogue with the writer of the text.
Moreover, there is another important skill that a critical reader must learn, that is how to spot flaws in
reasoning. Reared the two statement (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.) What do you think is the problem in these statements in terms of logic and reasoning?

Apparently, both statements are unqualified generalizations. Arriving at a hasty generalization without
considering evidence is a fallacy. What is a fallacy? You will find out after reading the story that follows. LOVE IS
A FALLACY

BEFORE-READING ACTIVITY
1. Read the story “LOVE IS A FALLACY” and pay close attention to its development as well as to the
contradictions and ironic twist that you may find.
2. Apply the four ways of reading critically. Annotate as you read then write a summary after reading.
READING TEXT (LOVE IS A FALLACY)

 Comprehension Question
1. How would you describe the narrator in the story?
2. How was Petey Bellows described in the story? How about Polly? Do you think that they are
really as dumb as they were described?
3. What is the narrator’s reason for wanting Polly?
4. From whose point of view is the story told? Is the telling of the story logical? Why or why not?
5. Using your annotation and summary, identify the following:
a. Purpose/intention of the author
b. Assumptions of the author
c. Claims of the author
6. Is the author successful in accomplishing his purpose? Why or why not?
7. If you were Polly, would you fall for the narrator or for Petey?
8. Do you agree that love is a fallacy? Why or why not?

INSTRUCTION: YOUR ANSWER MUST WRITTEN ON A ONE WHOLE SHEET OF PAPER.