“They Say, I Say” Guided Reading Questions: Intro – Ch. 2
As you read, answer the following questions. (They go in order with the text.) You can be brief and to the point,
but answer in complete sentences. PLEASE skip a line between each of your numbered answers.
Introduction – Entering the Conversation
1) According to Graff and Birkenstein, what is an underlying feature of academic writing when it’s at its best?
2) What, in the real world, most often serves as our catalyst for making an argument?
3) Write your own hypothetical version of a “phantom they say.”
4) What does it mean to “plant a naysayer” in your argument?
5) Copy this template and complete the sentence, using your own argument idea (it can be anything):
When it comes to __________, some may object because _____________.
Ch. 1 “They Say” - Starting with What Others Are Saying
6) What is the point of the Dr. X anecdote that Graff and Birkenstein use to open this chapter?
7) When it comes to argument writing, summarize the recommendations Graff and Birkenstein make on page 19.
8) Choose and copy one of the four sentence templates for “Making What ‘They Say’ Something You Say,” and then
complete the sentence with your own ideas.
9) Define what the authors mean by a “return sentence.”
10) Complete Exercise #1 (p. 26) for just one of the a. through f. claims listed on p. 27. (Again, only pick one )
Ch. 2 “Her Point Is” - The Art of Summarizing
11) Explain, in your own words, the “delicate balance” that Graff and Birkenstein believe is essential when
summarizing.
12) A. Paraphrase Peter Elbow’s writing concept—the “believing game.”
B. What is the test of whether or not a writer has mastered it?
13) When it comes to writing an argument, what is the “the closet cliché syndrome” and, as writers, what do we need
to do to avoid it?
14) Why is a “list summary” ineffective when making an argument and, as writers, what must we consider to avoid
this mistake?
15) Paraphrase (in your own words) what it means to summarize satirically.
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