Evaluation of Texts and

Images in Multicultural
Contexts
CRITICAL READING
As one of the categories of reading skills along with rapid reading, pre viewing,
literal reading and inferential reading. Critical reading involves studying and
evaluating the text closely in terms of relevance, validity, and logic.
The goal of critical reading is to examine not only what message is conveyed
but also how the message is conveyed as well as its purpose, target audience, and
other ways of presenting it. Essentially, critical reading requires you to be an
investigator and “break down” a text to appreciate and understand it better.
QUALITIES OF A CRITICAL READER
A critical reader ...
• annotates the text by writing or using sticky notes.
• determines and analyzes the organizational pattern (compare-contrast, cause-
effect, description, narration, definition, or persuasion) of the text.
• asks critical questions that promote analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of text.
• considers the cultural and historical background of the text or image.
• distinguishes facts from opinions.
• evaluates the author’s credibility by checking on his/her credentials or
academic and scholarly background.
• evaluates the source of the text and image.
• looks beyond the text or ideas that are not explicitly stated.
• makes inferences about the text or images and the author’s ideas , biases,
claims, agenda, or views.
• assesses the usefulness and relevance of the text by previewing or reading
the titles, table of contents, summaries and abstracts, introductions,
conclusions, headings, and sub-headings.
• reads with specific question in mind that he/she wants the text or image to
answer.
• reads with an open mind.
* As for the General Guide Questions in Evaluating Texts and Images---
refer to the hand-outs.