A short guide to Critical Reading
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What is it that we’re reading? ie. what is the genre or type of writing it belongs to.
Who is the writer/author? (eg. is he/she an expert on the subject)
Which audience is the author addressing? Date – how is it significant?
What is the issue or problem the writer is dealing with? What is the purpose of the
piece?
What information does the writer present? Is it accurate…up to date..?
What are the conclusions – any recommendations?
How does the author support his/her information? Is it well supported? What are the
sources of information?
Is the piece successful, objective, valid, persuasive…why?
How does style and tone contribute to the overall meaning? What to look for:
Denotation/Connotation/word choice
Metaphors, repetition (of key words)
Hyperbole, irony
Sentence Structure (refer to RRW pp. 40-42)
Refer to Read, Reason, Write (RRW) ch.2 p. 33-44 and The Wadsworth Handbook (WH)
ch. 2 pp.14-22