LESSON 1: Critical Reading as Reasoning

Assertions

are declarative sentences that claim something is true about something else

Fact

this is a statement that can be proven objectively by direct experience, testimonies of witnesses, verified observations, or the results of research

Convention

is a way in which something is don, similar to traditions and norms

Opinion

are based on facts, but are difficult to objectively verify because of the uncertainty of producing satisfactory proofs of soudness

Preference

are based on personal choice ; therefore, they are subjective and cannot be objectively proven or logically attacked

Counterclaims

are claims made to rebut a previous claim ; provide a contrasting perspective to the main argument

Evidence

is defined as the details given by the author to support his/her claim

• facts and statistics

• opinion from experts

• personal anecdotes

Evidence can include the following:

• unified

• relevant to the central point

• specific and concrete

• accurate

• representative or typical

Characteristics of Good Evidence:

Pre-writing

pertains to different techniques that help you discover ideas before writing

• knowing the kind of paper

• writing situation

• purpose

Determining the Writing Situation

• to explain

• to persuade

• to inform

• to entertain

4 Purposes of Writing

Topic

is the subject or the specific issue that your paper will discuss

Tone

refers to the attitudes and feelings you want your writing to reflect toward your purpose, topic, audience, and yourself

Brainstroming

begin at the top of a sheet of paper and list down everything that comes into your mind

Clustering

start by writing a word or phrase at the center of the page and encircle it ; this becomes your main topic

Freewriting

uses force of narration to draw a stream of connected ideas out of the writer’s mind