GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL READING

1.What is the writer’s perspective?

2.What relevant information is excluded
from the text?
3.Do you agree with the writer?
4. Is the writer objective and accurate?
5. How would you describe the tone of the
writer?
6. Does the text challenge your own values
and beliefs?
7. Does the text contain fallacies? What are
those?
8. Are there assumptions made by the writer?
9. Does the writer oversimplify complex
ideas?
10. Does the writer use reasonable
generalizations and inferences?
Strategies for Effective Critical Reading
1. Read the text with an open mind.
2. Think critically all throughout the reading
process.
3. Examine the facts and examples.
4. Check the accuracy and reliability of the
sources.
5. Evaluate the credibility of the writer.
INTERTEXT VS. HYPERTEXT
INTERTEXT
refers to a work whose meaning is shaped by
referencing or calling to mind other texts.
 other texts may give parallel situations as to the
other
Examples:
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the witch,
and the wardrobe by CS Lewis
2. Arthur Laurents’ West Side Story
HYPERTEXT
 is characterized by the external links
embedded in a text by the writer
 readers can read in a non-linear way
because he is lead to other links outside the
main text
 enables readers to arrive at the intended
interpretation
 taken through links or commentaries
(hypertext example in print media)

The Pearl of the Orient Seas1 is blessed with many

beautiful beaches, but Boracay2 still remains one of
the most popular tourist destinations.

1 A historical moniker given to the Philippines

2 A small island in Aklan, Visayas
TYPES OF CLAIMS
1.CLAIM OF FACT
2. CLAIM OF VALUE
3.CLAIM OF POLICY
1. CLAIM OF FACT
-- argument about a quantifiable topic
-- only asserts a stand regarding a
debatable topic

Examples:
1. Women are as strong as men.
2. Ozone layer is becoming depleted.
3. Increasing population threatens the
environment.
2. CLAIM OF VALUE
-- argues whether something is good or bad.
-- based on judgment and evaluation on
philosophical, aesthetic or moral standpoint.
--assessed based on accurate information

Examples:
1.Cheating in sports is wrong.
2. Illegal immigrants are ruining the American
economy.
3. CLAIM OF POLICY
-- arguments which asserts the implementation of a certain
policy .
-- states solutions and plans that are procedural and organized.
-- incorporates judgment coupled with supporting information.
--begins with a definition of the problem ( claim of fact),
explains why it is a problem (claim of value) and explains the
change that needs to happen
Examples :
1. People should eat more fish than meat because all kinds
of seafood contain more brain- friendly nutrients than
beef, chicken and pork.
LOGICAL FALLACIES
--errors in reasoning that invalidate an argument
FALLACY DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Occurs when the arguer presents Either you fully devote yourself
1. FALSE his argument as one of only two to the company or you quite.

DILEMMA options despite the presence of

multiple possibilities
Occurs when something is instantly
2. APPEAL TO concluded to be true just because it is not
IGNORANCE proven to be false, vice versa
Occurs when the series of
3. SLIPPERY increasingly superficial and
unacceptable consequences are
SLOPE
drawn
The writer does not talk about
the connection between the
victim’s killer and his sister so
there must be none.
If we ban computer shops,
then students will not be able
to do research. And if they
do not have tools for
research, these students will
fail their subjects.
 Occurs when two or more points are “Have you stopped
4. COMPLEX rolled into one and the reader is cheating on exams?”
expected to either accept or reject both
QUESTION at the same time, when one point may be
satisfactory while the other is not

5. APPEAL Occurs when a threat, instead of If you do not admit that

reasoning, is used to argue evolution is real, we will
TO FORCE isolate you from the group.
Occurs when the element of pity is Please do not fire me for
6. APPEAL used instead of logical reasoning being absent for a month; I
TO PITY have a sick mother and a
special child to support.
Occurs when unpleasant You can’t believe that
7. APPEAL TO consequences of believing something colonialism is bad, because if
CONSEQUENCES are pointed out to show that the belief it were, then we would not be
is false civilized.
 Occurs when an argument is
considered to be valid because it is skin because they think they look
8. BANDWAGON what the majority thinks
Occurs when someone tries to
refute an argument by attacking
9. ATTACKING the character of a person
THE PERSON instead of attacking the ideas of
the argument
Occurs when the argument
10. APPEAL quotes an expert who is not
qualified in particular subject
TO AUTHORITY matter
The authority in question is not
11. ANONYMOUS mentioned or named
AUTHORITY
Most Filipinas want to have fair
beautiful. Therefore, having fair
skin must be the real standard of
beauty.
I cannot accept your argument
because unlike me, you were
not educated at Harvard
University.
Bill Gates, the co-founder of
Microsoft, recommends the
effective fabric softening
properties of Downy fabric
softener.
Experts claim that eating
peanuts causes pimples.
12. HASTY Occurs when a sample is not
GENERALIZATION significant or enough to support
a generalization about a
population
13. FALSE Occurs when a writer assumes that
two concepts that are similar in two
ANALOGY ways are also similar in other ways
14. ACCIDENT Occurs when a general rule is
applied to a situation, even
when it be an exception
15. POST HOC Occurs when an arguer claims
that since event A happened
before event B, A is the cause of
B.
Martha, the foreigner from
France, is very impolite.
French people are mean and
rude.
Drugs are like massages: they
make you feel good.
Jaywalking is not allowed, so
you should not have done
that even when you were
being chased by terrorists.
Dina saw a black cat when they
went home. Along the way, they
crashed into a tree. The black cat
must be the reason why they met
an accident.
16. WRONG Occurs when the direction
DIRECTION between cause and effect is
reversed
17. COMPLEX Occurs when the explanation for an
CAUSE event is reduced to one thing when
there are other factors which also
contributed to the event
18. IRRELEVANT Occurs when an argument which is
CONCLUSION supposed to prove something
concludes something else instead
Liver damaged leads
to alcoholism.
We were not able to solve
the problem because of
limited time even if all the
other groups were able to
do so.
We must support the fight
for gender equality
between men and
women. Women have
suffered enough violence
at home. Violence against
women must be stopped.
19. STRAW MAN Occurs when the position Opponent: We should
of the opposition is relax the law governing to
twisted so that it is easier allow smoking areas in the
to refute city.
Fallacy: We should not do
so, because the number of
smokers might increase.
20. AFFIRMING THE Any argument of the Form: If you are drinking wine,
CONSEQUENT If A is true; If B is true, you have a problem.
Therefore, if you have a
therefore A is true
problem, you are drinking
wine.
21. DENYING THE Any argument of the
ANTECEDENT form: If A is true then B is
true; I A is not true then B
is not true.
Occurs when
arguments contradict
one another
22. INCONSISTENCY
If you are drinking wine,
you have a problem.
Therefore, if you are not
drinking wine, you do not
have a problem.
Frank is older than
Jake, Jake is older
than Noli and Noli is
older than Frank.