ill

Close Reading: Comprehension, Analysis

and Interpretation
:- . : of. life
.., . . .-:'Thi~. , as. a. good '·. b book. . further you get into
. The . ,t,. the more it
,. • •. • . . . ·• · .• :. •1 "-': • egms to. make sense."
·, ,:;, ' I•
t,f•; •• •,
Harold Kushner
• •• •~ I o
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Objective
By the end of this chapter you should have learnt about:
0 Close Reading .
0 Process of Reading
0 Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)
0 Comprehension and its strategies
0 Analysis and Interpretation
0 Stages of Analysis

Introduction
As we have learned in the last Chapter that reading is a many-tiered process
which includes multiple readings, understanding, complete
comprehension, and an_alysis of the read content, interpreting it and finally
expressing ideas about it through writing or presentation. As readers we
r~ad variety of texts, messages and information with many objectives in
our minds. Therefore, readers begin reading with a general or specific
purpose, and accordingly, the type_of reading is used about whi_c h we
read in the previous chapter. We saw that there are four main types of
reading: skimming, scanning, intensive reading and extensive reading,
and they are used according to the set target of reading.
When we approach a short story for the first reading so as to get its
overall idea and then the second and may be the third reading to get a
complete idea, then probably we make use of extensive and intensive
both type of reading. After a few readings and on getting some questions
 '- ]leading: Comprehension, Analysis and Jnterprerarion
Communication Skills: Theory and Prac:ti(:e . (1ot
8-------------- - ~ ding is a ~d of ~urface reading which helps to answer the
based on the particular text, we use scanning and skimming teclmi b a .s
uestion:
i ~ what 1s there m the content, whereas second and fiirtlier
of reading. _All the multiple readings of a text to get its com jes ~ g~_!ll getting a deeper meaning of the text/content.(Close reaamg
understanding may be broadly termed as Close Reading. P ete
-- <;.,
multiple meanings of a text. )
Close Reading _ .1 process of Reading
Readin to reach to multiple layers of meaning a piece of ~ting ~ ,q Effective reading involves proper planning of reading so that the objectives
gd ch ~ ·ts depth, comprehend 1t thoroughly, IS able to
that a rea er can rea ,,0 1 of reading are successfully met. First of all, a reader must know her/his
analyse, synth~ise and interpret and .finally evaluate, may be_termed as purpose of reading, specific or general, and then accordingly choose the
Close Reading. · · ·· · · . appropriate strategy for the s~e.
dose reading, a reader closely rea~ a _text giving th~rough att_ention so
Ji: s/he is able to comprehend th_e mam idea (cen~ .!:.< !~).~f. 'YD.~ .. A. Pr~readlng Activities .
piece, how supporting ideas con~bute to ~e central 1~ea ~d thus have a
total unde.rstanding of it It is a kind of reading for detailed informa~og) pre-r~ading activities work better at the initial stages of learning a language,
but nevertheless, they are fruitful otherwise at later stages of reading too.
Gose reading is a kind of reading d~ne with_ a magnifying glass, going For example, before reading a story/essay, talking about the title, sub title,
into the each detail of a text so that the given text IS comprehended minutely. sections, sub-sections and guessing the main idea and sub-ideas of it;
It can also be approached with a hawk's eye, by observing each detail, warming up readers by asking them questions related to the theme, writer,
picking up the main idea and then combining it with supporting ideas to writing technique, genre and past knowledge of the topic, etc. prepare a
get a detailed picture. The next step could be to summarise and intetj,M it reader well for the main reading. Vocabulary and basic questions related
Gose reading also helps develop critical thinking in readers and_h~p thein to the topic also work effectually.
extmd ing the main concepts from a written piece. For that purpose, a reager
m,1_v,'1. \Ve to take multiple readings even- first reading to get art overall
1
idea e. While- reading
and th.2second and even third reading to interact closely wtth.the text.
Multiple readings and in between stopping by a reader to check whether
After elose reading a reader is able to: · ....
8
the purpose of reading is being fulfilled: if it is for pleasure, is s/he getting
the story line properly; if for a specific purpose like getting the main idea
8 "-I/9
of the content, has s/he got it; is s/he able to comprehend what w a s ~
after a reading, etc.
C. Post-reading Activities
. ..
8 .-
After reading, a reader may ask oneself certain questions or some questions
may be posed by a teacher in case of guided reading so that the reader is
(9
· '"
"'
y '· . .
able to form an opinion about the content and can rewrite or present it.
helps to
... . •f-::. Post-reading
I '"I
/
86CJ
Pre-reading While-reading \ '"\ \
. f,
. - H
vv
• ~n\on on \he 'oasa
• .v . • Previous ,knowledge • Pause and ponde,r whether
l' l
objective ot reading tu\ti\\ed ot re~inQ
of topic • 'M\a\ a\\ is COO'l9'1ec1~
• Guessing meaning • Has one got the central
from title idea and sub-ideas'?
,,,;,
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_ii
-- -e
Communication Skills: Theory and .-, Close Reading: Comprehension, Analysis and Interpretation
110) · ·--
What Is the term HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills)? ·,
E xample:
A lot of mental activities take place while reading depending tiponi the- Suppose a reader closely reads a report about financial indusion of the
level of the language and cognitive proficiency of a read~ Higher.Order people of the marginalised groups by opening their bank accounts under
Thinking Skills are those skills which are at work in the'):nind·of a reader' the Central Government Scheme for the purpose. After reading the
during and after rea~g _a wri~ _piece. !he~ are not just· memorisingf . report, the reader is able to understand what financial inclusion is; how
skills but creative thinking abilities which include comprehension,· the scheme has been implemented; is the scheme successful; how can
synthesis, analysis, intetpretation, (knowing, understanding ~cl applying)
it have a positive impact on the living standards of the account holders;
etc. which are manifested through description, judgment,· assessm,
how can it have a bearing on the development of the economy, etc.
and evaluation of read content As the name suggesls, they ar~ high order
1 The reader is able to have all this information due to the HOTS which
thinking skills, which develop in high proficiency readers. .\.
are generated by reading a report/text/data.
Following is a list of the sJcills in ail ascending· order, from.lower to
higher level: r - - - - - - - - - - - - : : . _ : : . __ _ · ' Comprehension
(recognise,
ist, recal learned fads) Comprehension is deep understanding at multiple levels - literal and
interpretive both. In simple words, it is to get a direct meaning as well as
indirect meaning out of a text. It is a complete process which, along with
''$._1
lklderstandlCom (Interpret, reading, also includes some mental processes (HOTS). When we stop
sunmarise, irder, classify, COf'll)are, explain) -~·''l reading, we think: to connect, infer, creating mental picture, summarising
the main points, thus, we go through the range of comprehension.
Jg
::i Q'ou have been doing comprehension of unseen passages in your school -
APfiy (make use of or implementing concepts,
en
theory etc. leamed in similar situations)
.· ,,.... unseen prose passages were given to you and you had to answer the questions
0
C: based on the passages. That was a way to test your deep understanding of the
::i
tex;:J
'-l
C:
written piece, or in other words, the comprehension of the
i5... Analyse (analyse <ifferent part of one whole, distinguish
a, between more relevant and less relevant, Strategies of Comprehension
'E intsgralion al parts, etc.)
...
0
a, ;, How much has a reader understood/comprehended a text closely read by ·
.r;
.2' her/him, can be gauged from many perspectives. In fact, there are many
I Synthesjse (draw COfll)arisons, using information -----:.
got from various sources) strategies which help readers to augment comprehension.
(a) Question: The reader poses questions to herself/himself after close
reading, like .
Evaluate (writing a critique, forming judgment, v• What is the main idea of the text read? What makes me think so?
developing own opinion, testing) _ v• Which sentences are suppolt!Jlg the main idea?
vit What does the author wish to c~nvey? Are there any indicators?
Wh~t is author's v~ewpo~t? Why am I reaching on this conclusion?
t L -I " ' - ,-...., - oew on '"" j
· _ ol particular reading) ; r ' ! .- _ • • . •, _,. A~ the!e ~imple o?vious me~s or deeper me~gs too? Which
words are suggestive of deeper meanings? · -
Higher Order Thinking Skills to Lower Order Thinking Skills
(On the basis of Bloom's Taxonomy) --~- ~:{ .i Or _alternatively the text based direct questions as we\\ as indirect
questions may be asked by a teacher.
 Com munication Skills: Theory and Practic~
----..:..

e Note: Stud en ts can als? be trained to ask

aJ 11 as specific.
. such questions which CQuld
.
be gener. as we di of a short story, a reader 1s asked to P<alict
(b). Predict:Afterdoserea nghich eventually will improve creati~e and
what happens next, etc. w ' I
thinking ability of readers.- . . . .
() Connect: To f.igure ou t main ideas, then
. 'd finding connecting
rt th. .ideas
'd ...
c the parts w hich e laborate on the main 1 ea,
_ suppo e .main. 1 . ea, 1

and contrast it.

v· a1· . After reading, creating a visual picture in the mind.
'cf) R::rn:.••:.vhat all has been read by the reader after a reading. Pcit_
this pu,;ose the observation a,id analy_tical skills shoul~ }'~-
developed. Care must be taken to recall precrse and accurate details. .
(e) . Iitfer. To draw deeper meaning out of written content. When a reader;
asks herself/himself a question like, what all the. authOr wishe~ fo
convey to ,me; then probably one can _e asily infer deep~r ~E!aning.._
from the text.
,Cf) Determine importance: Which :part -is most important and which
~olds lesser value in terms of conveying idea.
(g) Synthesise: Putting together main and supporting ideas to . get, a
synthesised overall clear picture of the text read.
Paraphrase(Asking a student to quote a specific point of the author ·
in one's own words. It is not as easy as it seems to be. Even if one has
· to write one quote of the author, s/he will have to reread. author's
comment/point carefully) . ·

v<6'· The
Summarise: Providing a gist of the entire text in one's own .w ords.
difference between paraphrasing and summarising is that
parap~asing is changing the expression of original into simplified
fonn, whereas •=arising is paraphrasing and also cutting short
the length. In fact paraphrasing is lower in terms of understanding
whereas summarising is a higher skill.

. .. ,.. . . . .. Activity 1 _
Take any story' Which J · ·
had
.
read· - ·. . _- . -. · you till re~ember
. in your early classe
5
- th from
. the. ones which you
.No* o-i
c;,·ve·;1 -" -, _,.~ ,.! i ;:,(.,
~ .extensive _s~ranyo
readin ,. ~rshortstoryofyourchoice.
.. - .
the cho~eri §tory. Once Yokn
furth ' ~.~for an _overall idea of the story) to
l u ow what 1s th •· ·
er c ose reading, and llndi, l" ere It\ the story, give it a
. r me the Words Which .
are related to
 ehension, Analysis and Interpretation
d·ng , Compr
"tD I '
-@)
113

....-:-:a~~~~~~~=:i""'i:lr::-::::-::-;---:--,--.__:_
re e support
en,a1n l ea.
the story, .
check the title of the story. Do you think that it is .appropriate
Now want to change it? If you wish to change, then what should
. ? . .
be the alternate title. .
Write on
(a) The Direct Meaning Conveyed in the Story:
(b) The ~plied Meaning of the Story: . 1.

Note: The main idea of a s~ory or essay o_r chapter is made in the form of
astatement and is called Thesis ?tatement. It is the main sentence which
sets the argument ?f an entire paper/essay.
Generally each paragraph should have one main id_ea presented throu~
the main sentence, known as Topic Senten.ce. It is the main sentence of a
paragraph and is also called a focal sentence. Other sentences of the
paragraph normally support the topic sentence. ·

Actlvity2
l..et us take .the following poem. Read it closely and then a~k the
, following general and specific questions to ourselves:
Poem \ .
· The deep fathomless oceans, the dark layers of soil ·
The blue with its myriad shades spread out in the sky
The innumerable species of life on liquid and land
Tell a mysterious tale, inexpressible by lo~ or high.
j' i

A single human with his inadequate range of vision and sig~t

When his footsteps can fathom only the trodden pathway
Can measure only the perceived distance in ineters &nd yards
Can receive the sounds till his narrow range permits its way.

. Then could it be the man who devised the concept of life and decay?
The universes and galaxies which can hardly be imagined
The. Sun, the
. Moon, the uncountable
. stars hano:ing
. ~· m· th.
evacuum
The mountains of ice, the oceans of :waters comp~sed and balanced?
Could it be the job of MAN? · ·
(By Prerna Malhotra)
~,
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>I) •
I? '
e Communication Skills: Theory and Pr
114~-------------__::::=====----=:..:..:.::_.:::.:~~
)1,1 Questions:
(a) What is the central/main idea of the poem?
,, I
(b) Underline the words which are related to the central idea. , •
I J.
; j
( c) Circle the words which show the contrast between the two id~as
presented in the poem. · ~eaning of words or expressions.
I
(d) Give a suitable title to the poem. The original title has been pur-
f posefully removed.
Unlike speed reading, Oose Reading is a kind of slow reading whi~
the readers into deeper layers of understanding/comprehensiodi:and
makes them deep and creative readers) ' addition to the direct meaning.
Let us have a look at the critical technical understanding of Oose Reading
through the following quotes: . . _:
• "1be more we read, the.faster we can perform that magic trick.of
seeing how the letters have been combined into words that .have
meaning. The more we read, the more we comprehend,
. .
the- m,
~ore
likely we are to discover new ways to read, each one tailored to the
reason why we are reading a particular book."
(Francine Prcse, Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love
Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them. HarperCollins, 2006)
• "In its.analyses, new criticism ... focuses on phenomena such ru:
multiple meaning, paradox, irony, word play, puns, or rhetoricai
figures, which-as the smallest distinguis];lable ele_m ents of a literary;
work-form interdependent links with the overall context. A.central
,,
term often used synonymously with new criticism is close reading;
It denotes the meticulous analysis of these elementary featur~sJ ·
which mirror larger structures of a text." ..,
(Mario Klarer, An Introduction to Literary Studies, 2nd ed. Routledge,
~004)
There are many issues related to close reading for comprehension and
analy&is. The reader doing close reading may ask her/himself a number of
questions, like the first impression of the text, the patterns running through
it, unfamiliar words, words with implied meaning or figures ·of speech
expressions, type of writing, the idea to be conveyed, etc.
ding: Comprehension, Analysis and Interpretation
___,..,,_ >.i.,i ,~
--e
Close R e a = : = : : - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
:...-- 115
some Related Terms
Figurativ~ L~gu_age: Unlike simple l~~a~e, use ~f 'figures of speech'
in a text, hke snrule, meta~hor, persorufication, alliteration, etc. which
onvey a different mearung from the simple dictionary or obvious
penotation: The direct or dictionary meaning of a word _or expression,
like the word 'hand' conveys as the body part of a living human or animal
body.
Connotation: The additional meaning of a word or expression in
Example: Not many hands were required to finish the work.
In this example 'hands' stands for people working on something, not
just their hands.
Mind mapping: The graphical representation of an idea and its sub-
ideas in the form of images and related words.
~ple: Drawing a circle on a blank paper and writing the main idea
in it. Then draw connecting lines to the main idea and writing sub-
ideas; or creating a tree diagram to show the development of different
strands of ideas.
Brainstorming: Generation of ideas through group discussion.
Example: When you work in a group on a reading activity. For proper
analysis and interpretation of a text, the group membeis discuss the various
thoughts and other related connections for synthesis of thoughts 0 1
reaching at an acceptable interpretation, the group members brainstorm
Interpretation and Analysis of Written Pieces
. l
Analysis covers all the 'what' and 'how' points of a piece of writing. In fa
you have been engaged in analysis since you started reading essays, sh
stories and poems. When you read a chapter of a book of any discip\;
you do close reading and go through the process of analysis which mvo
comprehension, interpretation, evaluation and even argumentation.
,, _Analysis not only covers what has been stated directly but a\so w
being persuaded or being indirectly conveyed.
(After watching a movie, you may have many commen\s a'o
characters, their dialogues, song sequences and action. 'Do no\ 'f 4
that your mind had gone throum the process of. movie ana\1~
equipped you to write its review?)