Critical Reading by Parlin Pardede (2009)

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INTRODUCTION

A. What is Critical Reading?

Based on its level of difficulty, reading could be classified into three levels. First, literal reading which entails the ability to recognize words accurately; to identify topic, main ideas, and supporting details; to understand sequence of events; to recognize cause and effect

relationships; to interpret directions; and to understand organizational patterns used in various types of reading matter. Second, critical reading, or a way of looking at a text and analyzing what the author is saying and the methods he is using to communicate a message

or idea. In critical reading, the reader’s analysis is complete when he has formed his own interpretations of the author's intentions. Thus, critical reading

necessitates the ability to read with analysis and judgment. The third type is affective reading, which fuses the

reader’s intellectual and emotional responses to what he read. The relationship of these three levels can

be illustrated through the following triangle. Literal reading is put on the bottom of the triangle because it is the basis for the other two. It also

takes the widest area because this level covers the greatest number of all reading skills. Critical reading is put in the second level because one can read critically only if

he has mastered all the skills covered by literal reading. Thus, critical reading ability is higher than literal reading ability. Affective reading is put on top of the triangle because it is the highest reading level. One can read affectively only if he has mastered all the skills

covered by both literal and critical reading. The need for critical reading grows daily because much reading matter, particularly

newspapers, magazines, and advertisements, attempt to influence the reader’s thinking and

behavior. In general, there’s nothing wrong with this; it is only wrong if you allow yourself to be unknowingly influenced just because you passively absorb other people’s opinions without trying to find out whether they are truly sound or not. By applying critical reading

techniques, for instance, a citizen will be able to weigh public issues and make intelligent choices among political candidates. Critical reading will also enable someone to detect misleading advertisement claims, recognize the best values, and avoid spending their money

foolishly. And since it is a skill, it can be developed and refined with practice. The exercises in this book are aimed to provide you with critical reading skills.

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To a certain extent, critical reading is the process of questioning and evaluating

printed material and is closely associated with the reader’s ability to think critically and to react intelligently to the writer’s

ideas. In other words, critical reading is the manifestation of critical thinking, i.e. the use of mental ability as a tool of inquiry for

making purposeful, self-regulatory judgment which results in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference, as well as

explanation of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, or contextual considerations upon which that judgment is

based, in reading. Kurland (2006) says that critical reading and critical thinking are interdependent. Critical thinking allows us to monitor our understanding as we read. If we sense that assertions are ridiculous or

irresponsible (critical thinking), we examine the text more closely to test our understanding (critical reading). Con-versely, critical thinking depends on critical reading. You can think critically about a text (critical thinking), after all, only if you have understood it (critical

reading). We may choose to accept or reject a presentation, but we must know why. We have a responsibility to ourselves, as well as to others, to isolate the real issues of agreement or disagreement. Only then can we understand and respect other people’s

views. To recognize and understand those views, we must read critically. In relation to that view, critical reading is obviously a high-level comprehension skill,

because a good critical reader is able to go beyond the literal interpretation of what he

reads. In other words, he reads between the lines to determine what the author means by what he is saying. He knows how to question, analyze, and form judgments. He sorts facts from opinions, searches for causes, and considers the author’s qualifications and purpose.

His mind is alert to unfounded assumptions, fallacious reasoning, and illogical conclusions. By thinking for himself, he does not necessarily accept the biased viewpoints and propaganda of writers who are trying to influence him.

Unlike literal comprehension, critical reading requires the reader to interact with the writer. The reader must understand the writer’s message, question it, and react to it in terms of his own knowledge and experience. He is probing, comparing, and reflecting as he

thinks along with the writer about the ideas that have been set forth. Because of this interaction, the reader has not only absorbed the writer’s thoughts, but also adapted them in light of his own background to fit his purposes.

Your first obligation as a critical reader is to understand the author’s message. You must approach the reading with an open mind and a willingness to accept new ideas or another point of view. Although you have some doubts about the material before you begin

reading it, you must give the writer an opportunity to present his position. Avoid letting your personal biases or prejudices interfere with clear thinking and objectivity.

As you begin reading and are becoming aware of the writer’s thoughts, your mind

should be analyzing and questioning the logic of what he is saying. You should be skeptical

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toward unsupported assumptions and contrived relationships. You should be alert to faulty reasoning and illogical conclusions. You should also be aware of the author’s prejudices and

your own as you make judgments about the material you are reading. The more experiences and knowledge you have concerning a subject, the better

qualified you are to read it critically. One cannot think about nothing: one must have

knowledge of what he is going to criticize. When you are familiar with a topic, you can recognize misleading statements, make intelligent comparisons, and be aware of significant omissions. You find that the material either expands the concepts you already have or fails

to harmonize with what you have experienced.

B. The Procedure of Critical Reading

Are there any fixed procedures for reading critically and intelligently? There are no set answers to this question, because each kind or situation may demand a different type of thinking or reaction on the part of the reader. However, asking yourself certain questions as

you read helps you interpret an author’s ideas critically. There is admittedly no single list of questions that is applicable to every situation. Yet, certain types of question will be suitable for most kinds of printed matter. In the beginning, you may need to consciously ask the following questions, but after you have formed the habit of questioning, you will probably

find they occur to you automatically.

1. Are the statements fact or opinion?

2. What is the author’s purpose or motif in writing this material? 3. What is the author bias? 4. How is the author qualified to write this particular material?

5. How recently was the material written? 6. What do I know about the publication of this material? 7. Who is the target reader?

8. Do I accept, reject, or defer judgment on the author’s material? 9. How has the author organized his material? 10. Does the writer employ emotionally toned words?

11. What is the relationship, if any, of the author’s ideas to my own experience? 12. What analogies exist in the reading? 13. What are the cause-and-effect relationships, if any?

14. What, if anything, is irrelevant in the reading? 15. Is there any fallacious reasoning or misuse of statistics in the reading? 16. What comparison can I make of present reading with previous reading?

17. What inference might I draw from knowledge I have gained? To sum up, the process of critical reading might be described in the following steps.

First, identifying facts, in which the reader tries to clearly recognize what the author is saying. Second, examining the source, during which the reader critically looks at the author and his or her competence, reliability, and probable viewpoints or biases. The third step is to

analyze the material by examining the author’s assumptions and the logic and accuracy of these assumptions and conclusions; recognizing the inferences that the reader is supposed to make; detecting the implications present in the author’s diction, style, or tone; and by

recognizing the author’s use of propaganda tricks and emotional appeals. The last step—

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especially necessary in college assignments—is the comparison of a selection with other sources that may present conflicting viewpoints. This fourth step is profitable in such area as

political science, sociology, psychology, history, law, journalism, as well as in literary critics, essays, biography, and much expository material.

Throughout this book, you will deal with the concepts of various important aspects you

need to acquire in order to develop your critical reading skill. Some of the aspects are quite simple to learn, whereas the others are relatively complicated. Due to this fact, they are not given equal proportion of study and practice. Every so-thought complicated aspect, such as

point of view, connotation of words, fallacious thinking, propaganda, statistical slips, making inference, etc., is presented in one different chapter (Chapter 2 through Chapter 8). The simple aspects, however, are presented together in a single chapter (Chapter 9).

Explanations on each aspect are given as brief but as concise as possible, and to make it easier to master every aspect, each explanation is accompanied by some related exercises. The last chapter is devoted to the use of integrative skills in critical reading. In this closing

unit, after showing you how to apply the skills you have practiced in an integrative way, you are given some longer passages to read critically.

Reference Kurland's, D. 2006. “Critical Reading v. Critical Thinking”. Retrieved on July25, 2008 from:

www.criticalreading.com