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CONTENTS
CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... i
UNIT 1 .................................................................................................................................. 1
UNIT 2 .................................................................................................................................. 6
UNIT 3 ................................................................................................................................ 13
UNIT 4 ................................................................................................................................ 21
UNIT 5 ................................................................................................................................ 30
GENERALIZATIONS ..................................................................................................... 30
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
UNIT 6 ................................................................................................................................ 37
TONE ................................................................................................................................. 37
UNIT 7 ................................................................................................................................ 50
UNIT 8 ................................................................................................................................ 70
BIAS ................................................................................................................................... 70
UNIT 9 ................................................................................................................................ 87
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 95
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PREFACE
Critical Reading skill is a receptive skill subject that must be mastered by student of
English department. Critical Reading is advanced Reading to criticize some texts in
understanding of comprehension of text. A good critical reading theory ought to account
for many different aspects in critical Reading use, Including comprehension and
understanding of texts. These topics are introduced in this book and have been arranged
according to relative difficulty of the ideas involved. The materials of Critical Reading Skill
are; what is critical reading, critical reading strategies, fact and opinion, evaluating an
authors’ opinion, generalization, tone, the author purposes, generalization and drawing
conclusions, etc.
Writers
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UNIT 1
CRITICAL READING
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What a text says – restatement – talks about the same topic as the
original text
What a text does – description – discussion aspects of the discussion
itself
What a text means – interpretation – analyzes the text and asserts a
meaning for the text as a whole.
Notice that none of these goals actually refers to something on the page. Each
requires inferences from the evidence within the text.
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Wallace (2003) also states that critical talk which is carried around the
texts during the critiquing the text also has contribution to readers. These are as
follows:
The students offer more opinions and judgement through the use of
mental process verbs, for example, I think, as fas as I can see, etc.
They comment metacognitively on their own opinion forming and
reflection.
The students refere directly to the value of having opinions and of being
able to articulate them effectively.
The aim of critical reading is not to find fault, but to assess the strength of
the evidence and the argument. It is just as useful to conclude that a study, or an
article, presents very strong evidence and a well-reasoned argument, as it is to
identify the studies or articles that are weak.
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UNIT 2
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Evaluate the sources the author uses. In doing this, be certain that the
sources are credible. For example, Einstein is a credible source if the
author is writing about landmark achievements in physics. Also be
certain that the sources are relevant. Einstein is not a relevant source
when the subject is poetry. Finally, if the author is writing about a
subject in its current state, be sure that the sources are current. For
example, studies done by Einstein in the early 20th century may not be
appropriate if the writer is discussing the current state of knowledge in
physics.
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your own experience. Your understanding of the words on the page and
their significance is informed by what you have come to know and value
from living in a particular time and place. But the texts you read were
all written in the past, sometimes in a radically different time and place.
To read critically, you need to contextualize, to recognize the differences
between your contemporary values and attitudes and those represented
in the text.
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Outlining the main ideas helps you to discover this structure. When you
make an outline, don't use the text's exact words. Summarizing begins
with outlining, but instead of merely listing the main ideas, a summary
recomposes them to form a new text. Whereas outlining depends on a
close analysis of each paragraph, summarizing also requires creative
synthesis. Putting ideas together again -- in your own words and in a
condensed form -- shows how reading critically can lead to deeper
understanding of any text.
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UNIT 3
A. FACT VS NON-FACT
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Is this a fact? Well, it can be a fact if we can prove that it is true. But if
we can prove that statement (1) is true, statement (2) can not be true. Therefore,
statement (2) is not a fact, it is a non-fact. Is statement (2) an opinion then? We
will answer this later if we come to the discussion of opinion. For now, as an
initial exercise, why don’t you try to distinguish facts from non-fact statements
in the following activity.
Other example is the earth is flat. This statement is not an opinion, but
can be proven false.
Activity 1
Put an F (fact) and NF (non-fact) in the blank in front of the statement
you believe to be true or not true.
1. Indonesia has a population of ± 200 milion.
2. Columbus discovered America in 1492.
3. It is raining right now.
4. Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941.
How did you do on these four statements? Did you mark no. 1 as fact
(F) ? Good. No. 1 is a fact because recent government statistical sources have
announced the birth of baby no. 200,000,000.
What about statement no. 2? I look like a fact. If we open up our history
books we will find that Columbus discovered America. But that information is
nowadayss not accepted anymore. Columbus himself reported that when he set
foot on the America shore, he found people living there. In other words,
Columbus did not discover America, and no. 2 should be marked as NF (non-
fact).
In the case of no. 3, you can see for yourself whether it is raining or not.
If it is, you mark it as F (fact).
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How did you mark the last statement? If you are not sure, you can check
a number of reliable sources, an encyclopedia, for example. According to these
sources no. 4 is true, therefore, you can mark it (F). The difference between fact
and non-fact might still be confusing to you. Let’s do another exercise on fact
and non-facts.
Activity 2
In this activity we will use some familiar nursery rhymes and tales. Of
course you have to assume that the stories are true and pretend that you have
never heard of them. Each rhyme and tale is followed by a number of statement.
Mark each one as F (fact) or NF (non-fact).
Example
a. Little Jack Horner sat in the corner
Eating a Christmas pie
He put in this thumb and pulled out a plum
And said, “What a good boy am !”
Statement : Jack Horner was little
Answer : NF (non-fact)
Explanation
Actually an answer of ‘fact’ is acceptable because the story syas “Little
Jack Horner”. But we cannot prove another Jack Horner was really lttle, or
whether it was just a nickname to tease him. Therefore, the statement better be
marked as NF.
Now, continue with other sentences in the rhyme.
1) Jack was sitting in the corner while he was eating.
Answer ...............
2) Jack was eating a plum pie.
Answer ...............
3) Jack was sitting on a chair.
Answer ...............
Statements:
1) The women was old.
Answer ...............
2) The women’s children lived in the shoe with her.
Answer ...............
3) The old woman had a pet cat.
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Answer ...............
B. FACT VS OPINION
Now that you have an idea what is meant by fact and non-fact, let us
continue discussing statements of opinions.
According to Oka (2008), actually, opinions are easier to identify than
facts, because you do not have to prove them. An opinion is a personal
judgement, feeling, belief, or attitude. If you say “Dangdut music is terrible,”
you are gicing an opinion. Why? Because it is your own judgement, and it might
be different from what other people think. Lots of people dangdut music.
Unlike facts, opinion cannot be proven true or false, right or wrong, and
cannot be tested for its accuracy only the person holding the opinion can defend
his opinion, and even after his explanation others may still not believe him.
Imagine, for example, that you tell your soft-hearted girlfriend that you have
cats as pets and that they are lovable animals. It is very likely what you will lose
your girlfriend. Here are the details of differences between fact and opinion.
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- Never
- Must
- Cannot
- Best
- Worst
- all
A fact is a statement that can be An opinion is a person’s belief,
tested by examination, feeling, or judgement about
9. observation, or research and something. It is a subjective or
shown to be tru or untrue. value judgement and it cannot be
proven.
10. Objective Subjective
11. States reality Interprets reality
12. Presented with unbias words Presented with value words
13. Can be verified Cannot be verified
A statement of fact decribes the It reveals an author’s personal
world without interpreting it. feelings, beliefs, attitudes or
judgements on a particular
14.
subject. It tells you not only what
was seen but how it was seen by
the author as well.
To test whether a fact is accurate Since opinion depend on the
or not, you can observe or make personal experience, histori,
an experiment. culture, and training of the people
15. who hold them, though they are
sometimes supported by facts,
they cannot be judged true or
false, right or wrong.
Activity 3
The following are statements of opinion. Can you explain why?
1) Boys are better students than girls.
2) The service at the Kartika Hotel is not satisfactory.
3) It seems that drinking coffee can clear your mind.
4) Jurassic Park was the worst movie I’ve ever seen.
5) By the year 2020 tobacco will be illegal.
Yes, because each of these statement cannot be proven as trus, and other
persons can easily disagree with the statements. You could say “Well, maybe in
your class the boys are better students, but in my class the firls are.” In other
words, opinion depens on the personal experience, background, education,
occupation, and culture of the people who state them. Fact and opinion can be
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found in any kind of written text, such as newspaper articles, stories, poems,
advertisements, and announcements. The following activities will give you
practice in identifying fact and opinion in various reading materials.
Activity 4
Mark statement of facts with an F and statements of opinion with an O.
1) Last year there was a horrible outbreak of flu.
Answer ...............
2) Babies generally start to talk between 18 and 24 months of age.
Answer ...............
3) The average temperature in Wyoming in January is 35˚F.
Answer ...............
4) Italian is an easier language to learn than Spanish.
Answer ...............
5) The capital of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is
Moscow.
Answer ...............
6) More people stopped smoking last year than two years ago.
Answer ...............
7) In Judaism, Rosh hashanah is the festival of the New Year.
Answer ...............
8) Many nutritionists believe a low-carbohydrate, high protein diet is the
healthiest diet.
Answer ...............
9) Smoke detectors can help save lives.
Answer ...............
10) Thousands of people die each year from the interaction of their
presciption drugs.
Answer ...............
11) Cell phones should be banned in all public school classrooms.
Answer ...............
12) Children should not be allowed to watch more than five hours of
television per week.
Answer ...............
13) It’s a fact that soccer and rugby are violent sports.
Answer ...............
14) the Center for Disease Control (DCC) is a government agency that is
responsible for the control and suppression of infectious disease.
Answer ...............
15) surfing the Web is more fun than watching TV.
Answer ...............
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Activity 5
Some of the following sentences state facts, and some express opinions. Some
of the sentences include both facts and opinions. Mark statements of facts with
an F, statement of opinion with an O, and statements of fact and opinion with
F + O.
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UNIT 4
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• Is there bias?
– Personal experiences may be biased
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accurate to say, if you cannot distinguish between fact and opinion, you cannot
evaluate an author’s opinion.
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Activity 1
Read the following pair of paragraph carefully. Each paragraph
expresses an opinion.
Paragraph 1
The National Bureau of Standards invertigated the Hyatt Regency
accident in Kansas City, where many people died when a skywalk collapsed.
Through that investigation it was dicovered that the original design of the
skywalk had been changed during the construction of the building. As a result,
the loads those structures could carry were greatly reduced. In addition, a second
study by the International Conference of Building Officials concluded that a
building inspection procedures at the time of construction were not adequate.
Given the results of these two studies, I would make the following suggestion:
the design of buildings, especially if they incorporate novel features and are
used by large crowds, should be carefully examined and evaluated at all states
of construction.
Paragraph 2
We Americans like to brag about progress, but, in fact, life was better in
the nineteenth century that it is in the twentieth. People were happier and more
at peace with themselves. There just wasn’t the same kind of anxiety and tension
that there is today. If we had a chance, we would probably all get into a time
machine and go backward in time, rather than forward. All of our highly touted
technological progress has not brought us contentment.
Questions
1) What is the author’s opinion in each paragraph?
2) Which one is justified, which is not?
Activity 2
Now judge the authors of the following paragraph in the same manner.
1) Transcendental meditation is a simple technique that can improve the
quality of life. To practice TM, as it is commonly called, individuals just
have to close their eyes and concentrate on a mntra, a word or sound
used to focus concentration. Although mediators can let any and all
thoughts enter their minds, they must always come back to their point of
concentration, the mantra. When that simple procedure is followed twice
a day for twenty minutes, mediators report some very beneficial effects.
For example, in one study, conducted by Kenneth Pelletier at the
University of California, those trained in mediation indicated an
increased ability to concentrate and remember, while L.C. Doucette of
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Just now you have been engaged in activities that taught you how to
judge an author’s opinion. The main focus of the activities were on how to
distinguish between justified and unjustified opinions. You have learned that
justified opinions are opinions supported by verifiable facts, while unjustified
opinions are not accompanied by facts. In other words, only if an author gives
facts to support his opinion, can we say that this opinion is justified.
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Activity 3
Read the following text carefully. Underline the sentence that states the
author’s opinion. On the blank line, put a J for justified, if you think the author
presented relevant facts. Put for U for unjustified, if you think the author has
not given any facts or has given only irrelevant ones.
1) All over the country, union membership is down, and the percentage of
successful strikes has diminished. Unions now win fewer battles with
management each year than they did twenty years ago. In a recent article
in the New York Times, union organizers said that they were having
trouble recruiting new members. During interviews with prospective
members, they all reported hearing the same comment : people no longer
believe that unions can deliver on their promise to protect work interests.
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The signs are clear: at the present time, American unions are undergoing
a serious crisis.
2) Although my running friends no doubt disgaree, I still have to make my
position clear. If you want to be healthy, walk, don’t run. In a recent
study, the journal of Sports Medicine reported then 40% of all amateur
runners experience some form of injury. In some cases, the injuries were
relatively minors, like twisted ankles or shin splints. But in the other
cases, they were serious, with runner reporting broken arms and legs
from falls taken while running on pavement. These injuries do not
happen to people who walk rather than run for exercise. Similar studies
done on people who walk a fifteen minutes mile twice a day report
almost no injuries of any kind. The exceptions were those walkers who
had been chased and bitten by dogs. However, even that kind of injury
cannot be linked to the activity of walking as running injuries can, and
that just proves my point: walking is better for you than, running.
3) The chemist is essential in our life today. Aviation uses lightweight
aluminium, magnesium, high octane gasoline- all processed or created
by the vhemist- the automotive industrty uses plastic, improved gasoline
and oils, improved rubber, and other creations or discoveries of the
chemist. The cloting industry uses rayon nylon, dacron, orlon, all
chemically made fibers. From the chemist, too, come dyestuffs. Farming
depends on the chemist for many fertilizers and insecticides. Medicine
has received the miracle drugs and synthetic vitamins from the chemist.
Our national security, our future power resources, and our advance in
other scientific fields, such as geology and biology, depend in large part
on our progress in nuclear chemistry. The housewife, too, has gifts from
the chemist- among them foam rubber and dacron pillows, detergents
for cleaning, plastic for forniture and dishes and cosmetics to protect her
beauty. Indeed, the chemist today is irreplaceable.
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UNIT 5
GENERALIZATIONS
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Activity 1
On the lines below write F if the sentence is a factual statement; write G
if it is a generalizations. Remember that a statement of fact is not necessarily tru
(non-fact) but can be shown true or false.
Example
All the guests at the party preferred the chocolate cake.
Answer is G
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B. HASTY GENERALIZATIONS
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Activity 1 has shown you that generalizations are no fact. However, they
are frequently misused (by the author) and misinterpreted (by the reader) as
facts/ you might notice this if you do the following activity.
Activity 2
Read the passage below and determine whether it contains facts,
generalizations or both.
The wedding is a tradition that most young adults still value. Most
engaged couples carefully plain their wedding and regard it as an important
occasion in their life. Couples also are very concerned that their ceremony
follow rules of etiquette and that everything is done “just so”. Most give a great
deal of attention to personalizing their ceremony, including their own vows,
songs and symbols.
Key to Activity 2
All the sentences are generalization
How did you on activity 2? Is your answer the same as the key’s? If not
it means that you were misled and interpreted some generalizations as fact,
because they look like facts. The first sentence The wedding is a tradition that
most young adults still value is the topic sentence and the writer’s main opinion.
If the author wants us to believe him he should have suported his opinion with
facts. For example, he could have added A study on attitudes and customs of
marriage in the USA shows that 909 of all couples have some sort of wedding
ceremony. What he did instead, was presenting more generalizations up to the
end of the paragraph.
In other words, like other statements of opinion, generalizations need to
be supported by facts. To make the audience believe a generalization about all
people, the author mush show that he was examined many people, not just one
or two oe even none at all. If he doesn’t do this, he has made a hasty
generalization. Thus, a hasty generalization is a generalization which is not
supported by enough evidence for the readers to believe it. Try to do Activity 3
and see if you are improving.
Activity 3
On the lines next to the generalizations write H (hasty) if the support is
not sufficient; write HH if the statement is not supported at all; and write A
(accepted) if the statement is sufficiently supported. Example –HH- students
attend college to prepare for a career. Statements:
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Answer ...............
2) Walking is more popular than running.
Answer ...............
3) Government welfare programs are filled with people who are cheating
the taxpaying public. In today’s newspaper, for example, there are three
cases of welfare fraud.
Answer ...............
4) Marriages just cannot survive these days.
Answer ...............
5) Architects are an incompetent lot.
Answer ...............
6) Walking is more popular than running. When I was in the park today
nobody was running. Everyone was walking.
Answer ...............
7) American courts are finnaly beginning to take drunk driving seriously.
In fourty-eight of our fifty states, penalties for the offense of drunk
driving have been made more severe, with thirty states set to institute
jail terms in addition to heavy monetary fines.
Answer ...............
8) Architects are an incompetent lot. A recent study showed that the
architect who designed the McNair building was responsible for the roof
collapsing.
Answer ...............
C. ACCEPTABLE QUALIFIERS
You have just learned that for generalizations to be accepted they must
have actual proof. In everyday life, however, it would be very formal, boring
and maybe annoying if we always try to give scientific proof for our statements,
or always require proof others. In informal situations outside the world of
science we can be less strict about acceptability. We can consider a
generalization acceptable as long as we use acceptable qualifiers. Without
acceptable qualifiers or without qualifiers at all the statement remains
unacceptable. What are acceptable and unacceptable qualifiers? Acceptable
qualifiers are words like most, some, occasionally, likely, generally, almost and
the like. Using them means that you are careful with your statement. You don’t
say all government officials are corrupt, you say most government officials are
corrupt. It means that you realize nothing in this world is absolute, there are
always exceptions, and there fore you leave some possibilities open. So, avoid
making generalizations that use the words all, never, always, none and the like.
These words are called unacceptable qualifiers.
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Activity 4
Identify which generalizations are acceptable (A) and which aren’t
(NA). Mention the qualifiers or the reasons that make them either acceptable or
unacceptable.
Example
a. People in the military are very dogmatic.
b. Even the most radical youths are likely to grow conservative when they
acquire power and property.
Answer
a. NA, because not all people in the military are digmatic.
b. A, because of the qualifiers likely.
Statements:
1) Some mexicans are hot-headed and love to argue.
Answer ...............
2) Orientals sometimes have trouble learning English because the linguistic
systems of Indo-European Languages and oriental languages are so
different.
Answer ...............
3) A person who has taken three writing courses will generally write better
than the person who has taken none.
Answer ...............
4) All politicans are dishonest.
Answer ...............
5) Jones is a well-liked instructor. In student evaluations, over 90% of his
students give him the highest possible rating.
Answer ...............
6) A great number of people go to Bali in the holidays.
Answer ...............
7) College graduates are more intelligent than anyone else.
Answer ...............
8) Almost everyone enjoys sports, but a few people become fanatical sports
fans.
Answer ...............
9) Hemingway is regarded as one of the greatest writers of this century.
Everyone who reads him likes him.
Answer ...............
10) If the New York Times say so, it’s probably true.
Answer ...............
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11) Joe worked twenty hours a week this term and failed his exam. It just
goes to prove you can’t go to school and work at the same time.
Answer ...............
12) Women who have children cannot work and still care for their children.
Answer ...............
13) Television programs harm children’s minds.
Answer ...............
14) Only college education increases one’s earning power.
Answer ...............
15) Women who support women’s liberation are those who are frustated and
unsuccessful.
Answer ...............
16) Many students are like machines: they should be oiled regularly with
recreation and given frequent rests or they will wear out.
Answer ...............
17) Young people today are not likely to obey their parents.
Answer ...............
18) All Germans like opera: I have never met a German who did not.
Answer ...............
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UNIT 6
TONE
Like tone in voice, tone in writing is an aspect that reveals the author’s
feelings and contributes to the overall message. Many human emotions can be
communicated through tone, e.g disapproval, hate, admiration, disgust,
gratitude. Because tone is very often the author’s main tool in expressing his
feelings and attitudes, it is very important for the reader to learn to recognize
tone. An author’s tone is primarily achieved through the choice of words and
stylistic features.
A. WHAT IS TONE?
You are of course familiar with tone of voice. It is not hard for you to
know from somebody’s speech whether he or she is angry, happy, disappointed,
or excited. How do you know? Yes, his/her tone- a loud voice, a rising
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intonation, certain rude words – will give you the clue that the speaker is angry.
Without him saying “ I am angry!”, you know that he is angry.
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Tone in writing is like tone of voice: The author does not want to write
something directly; so, by choosing a certain tone the author informs you of his
feelings, attitudes, views toward a topic, and purposes for writing about this
particular topic. Like in speaking, his tone can be lighthearted or angry,
optimistic or pessimistic. Therefore, if you want to knwo the author’s feelings,
attitudes, views toward a topic, and purposes for writing you must have the skill
to identify tone. This skill will help you understand and correctly interpret the
meaning of a passage.
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Senator X is atrue politican. A smooth talker, she knows just what to say
and when to say it. Devoured by ambition as she is, she undoubtedly will be
elected governor.
After reading the first paragraph, we are quite sure that the author is in
favor of senator X; he takes an approving tone toward the subject of senator X.
What words set up this tone? Look at the words statesperson, eloquent, and
determination. These are words indicating positive characteristics; through
these words the aauthor tries to convince the reader that the senator in a
competent person, and to persuade him to support the senator. In contrast, the
second paragraph uses the words politican, smooth talker, and devoured by
ambition, words that have a negative connotation. Through such words the
author established a critical tone: the author disppsoves of the senator and tries
to persuade the reader not to support him.
Look at the following activity and see if you can identify tone.
Activity 1
Read tesxt A and text B. What tone does the author use in each text?
Text A
The cat is a stupid animal, incapable of learning any tricks. Whoever
heard of a cat who would play dead or shake hands?
The dog, on the other hand, is quick to learn. He can be taught to beg, to
shake hands, to fetch his master’s slippers, and to guard, even with his own life,
his master’s child.
The cat is stubborn; she does as she pleases. If a child tries to play with
her and she wants to sleep, she scratches the child and runs away.
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But a dog is obedient and docile. If a baby pulls his ears, he takes the
matter patiently. He asks only that baby love him and that his master reward
him with a kindly pat on the head.
The cat is selfish and lacking in affection. She prefers being left in a
cozy spot by the fire to being petted and played with.
But the dog is most loving. He lives, not by meat alone, but by the
affection and caresses of his master. Dogs have been known to refuse food and
even to die when a beloved master has left him.
Clearly, the dog is a much better pet than the cat.
Text B
The dog is a filthy fellow. He litters the dooryard with bones, old shoes,
and other things he drags in. He wades through mud but protests when he is
given a bath.
The cat, however, is clean. She never litters the house or the lawn, and
she constantly washes herself, this keeping her coat glossy and beautiful.
But the cat is shrewd. She knows how to get what she wants. A Persian
cat once learned to pretend that she wanted to be let outside in order to get her
mistress out of bed. But when Miss Green got up, Pussy always went straight to
the refrigerator, where the food was kept.
The cat, though affectionate (how she loves to be stroked), is
independent. She is a free animal and will not cringe or frawn for favors.
But the dog is servile. Whip him, and he comes crawling like a slave.
Truly, the cat, unlike the dog, is a noble animal, one worthy of respect.
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You might conclude from the discussion and the examples that an author
is always subjective and that his tone is always reflecting a certain attitude.
However, this is not always the case; authors do not always use a particular one.
It is possible that the writer tries to be neutral and does not include his own
personal feelings in his writing. This kind of writing is called objective
reporting. Consequently, the words he uses do not need to be emotionally
loaded, and he uses less conotative language than in subjective reporting. Below
is an example of objective reporting where no particular tone and attitude are
present. It is taken from a local newspaper,
Mr. and Mrs. Van Hilary are very wealthy and live in an expernsive part
of the city called Mission Hill. On April first, they gave a dinner party. It is said
the food they served was spoiled and could not be eaten. We do not know why.
Some people say the event was to raise money for a charity, but we do not know
this for a fact.
Proceed to activity 2. Find out if you have understood the difference
between subjective and objective reporting.
Activity 2
Read the following paragraphs. Decide if the author uses a certain tone.
Then label each paragraph S for a subjective report or O for an objective report.
Example
Americans have always lusted for heroes, and lacking them, we have
been driven to invent them. Such was certainly the case with the man born Joel
Hagglund but christened Joe Hill. A poet and songwriter, Hill first came to
public attention when he wrote a series of songs that were adopted by the early
American labor movement. His name, however, did not become popular until
he was arrested for armed robbery and murder. According to the story that
people believed, Hill never committed the murder, and he was executed in an
attempt to destroy the labor movement. Although it is true that Hill was tried
and convicted on insufficient and inadequate evidence, it is equally true that his
own story contained numerous contradictions and loopholes. At his best, he was
a man unfairly tried and convicted; at this worst; he was a criminal who boldly
proclaimed himself innocent. But in neither case was he a legendary hero, and
the tendency to eulogize him is a misguided attempt to create a hero where none
existed.
Explanation
The author of the paragraph uses a skeptical tone; he doubts whether Joe
Hill was a hero. The use of the plural pronoun we along with highly connotative
language, such as lusted and misguided attempt, tell you this is an example of
subjective reporting.
Do the rest of the activity in the same manner.
1) At the present time, cognitive psychology offers the promise of a
scientific breakhtrough. Although it has been unfashionable for more
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than half a century to theorize about the inner workings of the mind,
more and more attention is being paid to the work of cognitive scientists,
who hold that the functions of the brain, and ultimately the human mind,
can be scientifically investigated. Despite the fact that much research
needs to be done, scientists have already begun to explore the
complexities of memory and speech acquisition. By all accounts, it
appears that the most sophisticated modern computers is no match for
the intricacies of human thinking. Experiments have shown, for
example, that even very small children can perceive complicated
patterns and anticipate cause and effect relationships.
2) Fifty years ago, parents could lean over the back fence and chat
companioably with other adults who had the same family problems.
Today things have changed, and we live in a highly urbanized society
where it becomes harder and harder to meet our neighbors. Many single
parents feel particularly isolated in their home; they lack the easy
camaraderie an earlier generation enjoyed. As a result, many have turned
to public and private support groups in which they can talk over
problems and exchange information. Parents who feel unable or
unwilling to cope by themselves can find a wide variety of services in
these parent centers, including health information, crisis intervention
family counseling, and financial advice. For a long time, it has been
assumed that only children needed the support of their peers. As a result,
the emphasis has been on the creation of counseling centers and meeting
places for young people. It’s about time we thought of parents as well.
They too need the guidance and friendship available ina peer group.
3) The Japanese have accustomed themselves to the presence of robots in
the work place. More than two-thirds of all industrial robots, infact, are
found in Japan. Although robots are not capable of assembling finished
products, they can do the many simpler tasks that lead up to that stage,
and they have proven to be a boon to their employers, increasing worker
productivity by a substantial amount. For their part, Japanese workers
are relaxed about the rise in the robot population. Most contracts
guarantee the average worker employment until the age of fifty-five. In
addition, the majority of workers participate in some kind of profit
sharing plan, with the result that robot productivity only increases the
workers paychecks.
4) William Howard Taft was the twenty-seventh president of the United
States, and, by all accounts, his presidency was undistinguished. A huge
bear of a man, Taft did not inspire confidence; even his own mother did
not support his candidacy. Instead she publicly maintained that the
White House would be a mistake for her son’s career. Taft himself is
said to have claimed that any party nominating him would make a “great
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C. VARIOUS TONES
1. Critical Tone
It is true that many tones can be used to criticize, but the critical tone
itself criticizes straight forwardly. The author points out the actions and beliefs
of a person or institution which he judges to be wrong. The following is a letter
from a college professor to the local newspaper.
When we do not know the complete facts about a story, we must be
careful not to draw conclusions that may not be true. We tend to tell stories if
all the facts are not known, but in the case of the Van Hilary’s dinner, has there
been any proof that the dinner was for charity? Has anyone proved that the food
was inedible, or that it was purposely ruined? Until we learn more facts, if
indeed we have the right or the need to know more facts, we should with hold
our judgement.
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Activity 4
1) Who/ what is the professor criticizing?
2) Besides a critical tone is there another tone present?
2. Cynical Tone
Cynicism is a belief that people are motivated by selfish reasons and not
by inner kindess. Thus, an author’s cynical tone implies that he thinks human
begins are basically corrupt and are always after personal advantages. Consider
the letter below, written by a college students to his roommate.
I’ll sure be glad to get back to the campus. It’s deadly around here. The
biggest thing that’s happened all spring vacation is a big flap about a charity
dinner. How can anyone believe in these so-called charity causes! The Van
Hilarys, you know, the money bags on the Hill, gave ahuge dinner party, which
nobody could eat because somehow the food was spoiled, the party was for
charity, but I’m sure the Van Hilarys wouldn’t have thought of anything
charitable unless they needed a big write off on their income taxes. As for the
food, it was probably spoiled long before the party began. These do-gooder give
me a pain. Who do they think they’re fooling, anyway? Charity? There’s no
such thing as charity. Nobody cares anything about anyone except number one-
me!. Just spell charity that way –n-u-m-b-e-r-o-n-e spells m-e, m-e, m-e.
Activity 5
1) According to the writer, what personal advantages are the Van Hilarys
trying to get through this party?
2) What words does the writer use to establish the cynical tone?
3. Sarcastic Tone
Like criticism and cynicism, sarcasm is used to criticize, but on a more
personal level. Sarcasm aims at hurting a person’s feeling and can, therefore, be
very sharp and painful. The writer uses words which show the writer’s
contempt, anger, splite, malice at a certain person. The following is a part of
political speech of a candidate opposing a candidate supported by the Van
Hillarys.
You may think that the Van Hilarys gave that dinner party last Saturday
night dor charity, but I have never seen that the Van Hilarys give any money go
for anything they didn’t benefit from. Ruined food, my eye! That wasn’t ruined
food, it was spoiled food, bought cheaply, and then purposely said to be ruined
so that all the excess profits could go to some charity or other. Van Hilary’s
going to have a fine tax break from that. He’s already thinking about how he
can invest so he can get both the government and us next time around. However,
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once we get our investigative committee to look into it, there won’t be a next
time round for Van Hilary!
Activity 6
1) Who is the object of attack in the text in activity 5 and who is beaing
attacked in the above text?
2) What threat does the writer make to wound Van Hilary?
3) What words establishes the writer’s sarcastic tone?
4. Soelemn/Somber/Serious Tone
The author uses this tone if he is serious about and dedicated to the topic.
This following is a part of a sermon.
We Americans must change our wasteful ways. One of our basic
Christian tenets is that we must do acts of charity for others. When we use every
resource God gives us for the betterment of humanity, then we will not deny our
fellow man by being wasteful. An example of the worst kind of waste comes to
mind. Can there be any greater waste than to purposely ruin food that could have
helped others who do not have not long ago. It seems that a dinner party was
given at which the hist and histess became intoxicated, as evidently did their
guests. Then everyone set about to ruin the food by putting the wrong
seasonings in everything. Finally the food could not be served because it was
inedible. So it was discarded.
Activity 7
1) Why does the writer say that the dinner was the worst kind of waste?
2) Quote the sentence(s) that shows the writer’s solemn tone.
5. Ironic Tone
When the writer uses the ironic tone, he chooses words that are the
opposite of what he means. It is used to criticize indirectly. The following
paragraph is a continuation of the sermon above.
An exceptional dinner party, I’ve been told. Enjoyed by all and thus, a
true blessing in this time of frustation and financial anxiety. A truly unique way
to be charitable and to honor Our Lord with our deeds. When the wealthy give
of their welath to benefits the poor, it’s a fine thing. Ah, you may say! How
wonderful of the Van Hilarys to give such a bash and to make it such a fun affir.
What harm can their be in having a little food spoiled? What does it matter that
the money spent on the food and it preparation could feed the poor of this city
for an entire year?
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Activity 8
1) What does the writer mean by the mean by the dinner was a ‘true
meaning’?
2) Quote from the test some examples of irony.
6. Sentimental Tone
A sentimental tone uses words and phrases that aims at making the
reader feel pity, sympathy, affection, or tenderness towards a certain subject or
topic. Look at the letter Mrs. Van Hilary wrote to her son Cyril.
Dear Cyril,
I hope that you and Joanna are enjoying your stay in Paris. We are
having a delightful time with the children, and I really think they are enjoying
their grandpa and grandma, though of course they miss you a lot. They are such
little angels, how could we not grant them every little thing their hearts desire?
After all don’t they say that God made grandparents so they could spoil their
grandchildren just a tiny bit?
The other day they were just precious, though your father thinks they
did go a bit far. I had told them, Scott and Matthew, about April’s Foold Day,
and that it was a time they could do a trick –not a bad one- just a little trick, and
then say “April Fool”, and it would be allright. I’m afraid the little dears got a
bit carried away. We had some people to dinner that night, and, unknown to us,
Scott and Matthew played a few tricks on us salt in the sugar, sugar in the
vegetables, and so on. Well, we just made it into a grand party and, with a few
more drinks, no one seemed to care anyway. It all ended up being great fun.
You may be sure, though, we explained to them that they must not carry
things too far in the future. But boys will be boys, and I remember in your day
you did a few tricks of your own. And you certainly turned out just fine. So you
see, we’re not spoiling the little angels so much.
Activity 9
1) By writing so sentimentally, what kind of feeling does Mrs. Van Hilary
try to arouse in Cyril?
2) Quote words from the letter that establishes his sentimental tone.
7. Satirical Tone
This kind of tone criticizes indirectly. It combines humor, irony,
exaggeration, sometimes sarcasm, to make people see their bad habits and
foolishness. By using a satirical tone the author hopes that the criticism will
work and that people improve.
8. Humorous Tone
A humorous tone is also lighthearted and aims at amusing the readers.
This tone is sympathetic to human nature and good natured about man’s whims
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and follies. There is no intention at all to hurt people’s feelings. Read the
passage below and see whether it makes you smile.
The other day my wife and I were discussing the pros and cons of having
more or less money. She commented that the rich were just like you and me,
only they had more money.
Well, I told her that she might be right, because she certainly knows
more about the way they eat and dress than I do. But on the other hand, I
certainly couldn’t imagine our carrying off a party like the one the Van Hilarys
gave on Mission Hill the other night.
Seems they had invited a few guests for an April Fool’s dinner. It’s not
clear at this point who fooled whom, but there certainly was a good bit of
foolishness on the Day for Fools. The story goes, according to one fool who
gave it to the paper, that the Van Hilarys high spirited grandchildren decided to
spice up the party. Bright little boys, Matt and Scott. A great team. Matt put
sugar in the salt cellars, and Scott put salt in the sugar bowl. Scott spiked the
wine with vinegar, and Matt slipped handfulls of pepper into the gravy.
Well, when the dinner started, Mr van Hilary proposed a toast to April’s
Fool’s day. Everyone raised glass on high, took a sip, and spluttered. Mrs. Van
Hilary thought he’d planned the foolishness, and Mr. Van Hilary thought she’d
had the inspiration, so with great aplomb they argued their guests to join in the
fun of a foolish dinner. By the time the vegetables were sugared and the coffee
was salted, everyone had gone to the fools.
I told my wife she would have liked the deser, though. Pickles with ice
cream. Just what she used to request when she was pregnant with our youngest.
Well, maybe she’s right. Maybe we’re not so different from the wealthy, after
all. Ah, what fools we mortals be!
Activity 10
1) Which words or phrases in the passage amuse you?
2) In what ways does the writer use the word fool? Why does the writer
repeat it so often?
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brutalize their children, destroy their careers. I’ve also reached the age
when I’ve had to bury a few people who allowed booze to take them into
eternity.
a. Enthusiastic b. Disapproving c. Cynical
4) Each time I visit my man in prison, I relive the joy of reunion and the
anguish of separation. We meet at the big glass door at the entrance to
the small visitor’s hall at Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution. We
look at each other silently, then turn and walk into a room jammed with
hundreds of molded fiberglass chairs lined up side by side. Finding a
place in the crowded hall, we sit down, appalled that we’re actually in a
prison. Even now, after four months of such clocked, supervised visits,
we still can’t get used to the frustations. Yet, as John presses me gently
to his heart, I feel warm and tender, and tears well up inside me, as they
do each weekend. I have seven hours to spend with the man I love, all
too brief a time for sharing a lifetime of emotion: love and longing,
sympathy and tenderness, resentment and anger.
a. Appalled and angrty b. Friendly and intimate c. Sad and desperate.
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UNIT 7
Many different types of writing exist in the world, ranging from classic
Shakespearean plays to politicians' speeches to the screenplay treatments that
inspired this summer's biggest blockbuster hits. These works may vary in tone,
genre and type, but as pieces of writing, they should have one thing in common:
a purpose. When an author writes to persuade (or sometimes even to entertain
or inform) he/she will have his/her own position on the subject. The author’s
position is an author’s opinion about the subject. Author’s purpose and position
go together. The author will want you to see the topic from his/her point of view
or through his/her eyes. This is the author’s position. For some issues, you will
be able to tell if the author is FOR or AGAINST something.
Authors write for many different reasons. Those reasons are called the
author's purpose. Depending on the purpose, authors may choose all different
sorts of writing formats, genres, and vernacular. According to Janovsky (2008),
a simple trick to summarize the three main categories of author's purpose is to
use the acronym PIE, which stands for Persuade, Inform, and Entertain.
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1. To Persuade
What is the author persuading you to do?
It is true that in these types of writing the author shares his opinion, but
usually he also provides facts and examples. This information serves to support
the author's opinion and further convince the reader to agree with him.
Examples of persuasive writing include speeches, advertisements, commercials,
and newspaper editorials. Any forms of propaganda are examples of pieces
written to persuade. Look at this picture and identify how the author wants you
to think or to act.
If the author’s purpose is to persuade, the author will want you to believe
his/her position. Persuasive pieces are usually non-fiction, biased, and based on
opinion. Although there may be facts, it contains the author’s opinions. With
persuasive pieces, the author’s will make his/her position clear (whether he/she
is FOR or AGAINST it).
The author is trying to make the reader agree with something important.
The author wants to persuade you to see their point of view. Examples of
persuasive writing: Editorials in a newspaper/magazine speeches
2. To Inform
The second main type of author's purpose is to inform. In this format,
the author's goal is to enlighten the reader about real world topics and provide
facts on those topics. However, in contrast to pieces written to persuade, these
facts are not used to support a specific opinion. The facts are presented in order
to teach the reader. Examples of texts written to inform include textbooks,
cookbooks, newspapers, and encyclopedias.
All these forms are written in order to provide information to the reader.
It is also important to note that many authors present their works as
informational texts, while at the same time inserting their own opinions into the
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If the author’s purpose is to inform, you will learn something from the
selection. Information pieces sometime use one or more of the following:
– Facts
– Details/Instructions
– Places
– Events
– People
3. To Entertain
The final main category of author's purpose is to entertain. This contains
almost all examples of what you think of when you hear the word literature.
Authors who write to entertain have the goal of telling a story or describing real
or imaginary characters, places and events. This includes all pieces of fiction,
which is literature that is not real.
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Many readings have very clear purposes, and are not hard to recognize,
as in the following advertisements:
At Hair Design Salons we’ll make you look better than you can imagine.
Six professional stylists to meet your every need. Stop in for a free consultation
to day.
Puerto Rican white rum can do anything better than gin or vodka.
The first ad is written to encourage the readers to have their hair styled
at Hair Design Salons. The purpose of the second ad is to encourage readers to
use rum instead of gin or vodka in their mixed drinks. In both ads it is clear that
the writer is trying to convince you to buy a certain product. However, in many
other types of reading material, the writer’s purpose is not so apparent. Even
advertisements can at times be hard to interpret: we know that it aims at selling,
but what does it exactly sell? For instance, in an ad for a particular brand of
cigarettes, a stylishly dressed woman is pictures holding a cigarrete.
The caption reads, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” The ad does not
even mention cigarettes. It is left up to you, the reader, to infer that stylish
women smoke Virginia Slims. Certainly you have read many such puzzling
advertisements.
It often happends that you can predict the author’s purpose from the title
of the article or by your familiarity with the writer. For instance, if you noticed
an article titled “My Role in Watergate,” written by Richard Nixon, you could
predict that the author’s purpose is to defend his previous actions as president.
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Since titles of passages may either provide a good and quick clue or none
at all as to the author’s purposes, let’s start our activities with titles.
Activity 1
Decide whether or not the following article titles give a clue to the
author’s purpose. Write A (apparent) in the blank if it does, write (NA) if it
doesn’t. Formulate this purpose whenever it is apparent.
Example
“A lesson in compassion” A
The purpose of the author seems to be to teach the reader how to have
compassion towards suffering people.
Activity 2
Read each paragraph below carefully and decide what the writer’s main
purpose was in writing it, by choosing among the options provided.
Example:
Audi’s ten years warranty against body rust-through is unlike any other.
This is the only warranty of its kind in the world. And your reminder
that an Audi retains its beauty and value far longer than other cars. Test drive
the new Audi 100 and find out what makes A is better than the competition.
a. To inform b. To entertain c. To persuade
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answer
c. The text is an ad for cars and aims at persuading you to buy treat the resr of
the articles the same way.
1) The Mormon settlement at Salt lake City was a success from the
beginning. The few difficulties with Indians and with government
officials were settled by Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, with skill
and understanding. The city grew and prospered. Salt Lake City today
has a population of about 200,000 people. Most of them are Mormons.
a. To describe b. To advertise c. To inform
2) Be grateful every morning when you get up that yyou have something
to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being
forced to work, and forced to do your best, will help you develop self-
control, strength of character, cheerfulness, and content. The idle will
never know the hundred virtues which work and activity can provide.
a. To advise b. To explain c. To instruct
3) Magazines have flooded the market. You find them everywhere – in the
stationary store, the drugstore, the beauty shop, the doctor’s or dentist’s
office, the barbershop, railbroad stations, bus terminals- wherever
people seek a pleasant way to spend leisure time reading. Perhaps the
greatest reason for the magazine’s popularity in America is the demand
for short, interesting stories and informative articles with a wealth of
lively, colorful ilustrations. Another reason may be the exciting variety
of magazines appealing to everyone’s taste, whether for sports, fishing,
the outdoors, romance, adventure, fashion, news, westerns, mystery,
movies, science, etc.
a. To instruct b. To explain c. To entertain
4) Even though we were at sea, there was much for me to look at and to
wonder at; for this was my first voyage. What amazed me most was the
sight of the great oceqan itself, for we were out of sight of land. All
around us, on all sides of the ship nothing was to be seen but water not
a glimpse of green, not the smallest island, or speck of moss anywhere.
Never did I realize till now what the ocean was: how grand and majestic;
how solitary; how vast and beautiful and blue. That day it gave no sign
of storms of hurricanes, such as I had heard my father tell about. I could
not imagine how anything that seemed so playful and placid could be
lashed into rage. So, I was not prepared for what I was to see later.
a. To give information b. To arouse sympathy c. To express feelings
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5) A famous doctor had cured a child of a very serious illness. The mother
was grateful and went to the doctor’s office to thank him. “Doctor,” she
said, “there are some things we can’t pay for. I thought that you would
want to accept this wallet which I made for you with my own hands.”
“Madam,” answered the doctor rudely. “I don’t practice medicine for
sentimental reasons. You must pay me with money. Your bill is two
thousand dollars.” The lady opened the wallet, took out the five thousand
dollars she had put in it, and gave the doctor two thousand.
a. To give advice b. To tell a story c. To share an experience
6) One of the pleasantest things in the world is going on a long walk but I
like to go by myself. I can enjoy society in a room; but out of doors,
nature is company enough for me. I cannot see the use of walking and
talking at the same time. When I am in the century I want to enjoy it. I
go out of town in order to forget the town and all that is in it. There are
those who go to beaches and carry the metropolis with them. I like more
elbow-room and less baggage. I like solitude, when I give myself to it,
for the sake of solitude. The joy of a solitary walk is liberty –perfect
liberty- to think, feel, and do just as one pleases. We take a trip chiefly
to be free of all inconveniences to leave ourselves behind and more to
get rid of others. It is because I want a little breathing space to think
about different matters what I leave town for a while, without feeling at
a loss the moment I am left by myself. Give me the clear blue sky over
my head, the green grass beneath my feet, a winding road before me,
and a three hours march to dinner.
a. To present an opinion
b. To give an explanation
c. To state a criticism
7) From his pictures he appears to be swathy, with black hair and sparkling
eyes. But he was really very fair and had blue eyes. They were deep-set
and piercing, though sometimes clouded by melancholy. He had a broad
forehead which was lined with wrinkles by the time he was thirty. His
mouth was well-cut and his chin prominent. He had a deep voice, but
his speech was halting and often trembled with emotion as he spoke
passionately of what interested him. At times he was friendly, but more
often he was ungracious and reserved. He was of medium hieght, broad
shouldered, and sturdy. When seated he seemed much taller than he
really was. He was very restless; he had inherited from his native land
the mountaineer’s passion for walking and climbing, and love of travel
which remained with him nearly to his death.
a. To describe b. To inform c. To ridicule
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The first step in identifying the author’s purpose in a text in which the
purpose is not so obvious is to identify the author’s main idea or topic. Then
find out what he or she does to support this main idea. After you have done this
you start thinking about what he/she is trying to accomplish through the writing
and ask yourself the following questions:
1. Who is the intended audience? Who is the writer writing to? Who id the
writer addressing? What type or group of people does he have in mind?
Often, the level of language, the choice of words, and the complexity of
the ideas, examples, or arguments included suggests the audience the
writer wants to reach. One you have identified a potential audience, it
will be easier for you to decide what his/her purpose is.
A writer may write for a general interest audience (anyone who is
interested in the subject). Most newspaper and perodicals such as Time
and Newsweek appeal to a genera, interest audience. In this case the
writer’s purpose is to inform them about the latesr events. On the other
hand, a writer may writer for medical doctors in the journal of American
Medicine, or for skiing enthusiasts in Skiing today, or for antique
collectors in The Qorld of Antique. Here the writer may have a more
specific purpose: besides giving information, he may want to explain, to
share experiences, to persuade. Also a writer may intend his or her
writing for an audience with a particular political viewpoint with the aim
to argue and to debate a certain issue.
3. What is the point of view? Point of view is the perspective from which
an article or essay is written. An event, for example, may described from
the point of view of someone who present at the scene or from that of
someone who only has heard or read about it. In the former case the
writing is likely to be a subjective reporting while in the latter it might
be more objective. A controversial issue may be discussed from an
objective point of view, examining both sides of the issue, or a
subjective one in which side of the issue is favored. As such, point of
view can often suggest the writer’s purpose in writing: a subjective
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Based on the title, why do think the author wrote this selection?
Which words do you think best describe the main reason the author wrote
this selection: to provide readers with information? To describe a person,
event, or issue? To express their own thoughts and feelings? To persuade
readers to think about an issue in a certain way and to take action? Or to
entertain the reader?
Why did the author write the article from a particular point of view?
How did the author influence your response to the selection?
Was the author’s purpose specifically stated?
Do you think that the author achieved his/her intended purposes? Did the
article effectively give information? Entertain readers? Express the
author’s thoughts and feelings? Persuade readers to think about an issue
and/or take action?
What examples from the text support your conclusions about author’s
purpose?
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Language used - look at the words the author chooses to use. Do they
convey certain emotions? Is it formal or informal?
Development - How has the author chosen to develop his or her
thoughts?
The audience - Who is the author speaking to? Is the vocabulary
technical and specific? Is it targeted to a specific audience? Is the
language easy to read and understand?
The author's tone - If the author was speaking to you, what would it
sound like? Is the author passionate about the
topic? Sarcastic? Neutral? Is the author arousing emotions? Does it
evoke feelings of sympathy, anger, happiness or sadness? Looking at
the author's tone can lead the reader to the overall purpose
The author's point of view - What is the author's attitude toward the
subject?
Test yorself now whether you can recognize the author’s purpose by
applying the questions above to the following activities.
Activity 3
Read each paragraph below carefully and identify the author’s tone.
Then write fanciful, frantic, humorous, serious, friendly, or admiring on the line
provided. Decide also what the writer’s purpose was in writing it.
This could be
a. To inform b. To entertain c. To persuade d. To share an
experience e. To amuse f. To advise g. To explain
Then on the line before each paragraph write the a,b,c,d,e,f or g.
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Example
Once upon a time, there was a land called Endella. Every June, when the bright
days of summer had come once more, the king of Endella would send a
proclamatic inviting all the knights to a grand tournament.
Answer : fanciful (B). The author uses a fanciful tone, he is telling fairy tale.
His purpose is b, to entertain.
2) “When I was your age, my family lived near the Missisippi River. Every
afternoon, on the way home from school, I’d stop and watch all that
water rolling by on its way southward, and I’d wonder about all the other
people who must have done the same thing. I could never feel lonely
because I knew that somewhere along its hundreds of miles of banks
there was someone else looking at the river and perhaps wondering
about me.”
Answer ...............
3) Captain Brave of the Cosmis Partol raced to the time machine and set
the dial for Egypt, 3000 B.C. He had to find the builder of the dreaded
“Pharaoh’s Man-trap” and learn its secret. If he didn’t learn the secret,
courages Lieutenant Daring would remain trapped inside forever.
Captain Brave worried, “Is it possible that I save my lifelong friend?”
Then, just moments later the captain stepped out into the shadows of the
Pyramids. His work would begin!.
Answer ...............
4) Lucy looked up from her book. The whole class was laughing at
something. She turned around and asked Maureen what was so funny.
Maureen tried to explain, but she couldn’t stop giggling. Everyone was
looking at Lucy’s feet. Lucy glanced down at her feet and saw a red shoe
on one foot and a brown shoe on the other foot.
Answer ...............
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by voting for a candidate with the same views. Remember that it takes
much less efforts to mark your ballot than it does to grumble throughout
the rest of the school year. Make you mark in the world vote!.
Answer ...............
7) The safety pin was invented in 1846. Now, you are probably asking,
what’s the point of knowing that? I say the safety pin can hold its own
among the great inventions of mankind. People of all ages make use of
the safety pin. Take just one example, mothers all over the country
confidently sending their children off to school knowing that the milk
money is safely pinned inside their pockets. I’m not claiming that the
safety pin is the most famous of man’s inventions. My point is that it
deseves more credit that it gets.
Answer ...............
8) There is just so much water on the face of the earth, and it seems man is
trying to spoil as much of it as possible. The oceans may be used as a
source of water supply for humans in the future, but right now man must
rely on fresh water supplies. The rivers and lakes must be kept free from
pullution. Factories and cities should built so that they do not pollute the
very source from which they must draw water.
Answer ...............
9) My aunt makes lemonade the strangest way. Now you all know the way
poeple usually make lemonade; they open an envelope of artificial
flavoring, coloring, and sweetener and add it to water. Well, my aunt
squeezzer juice from real lemons amd even adds real sugar to the juice.
What some people won’t do.
Answer ...............
10) In this age of automation and mechanical marvels, my car would be the
one to develop a mind of its own! I take the family to a frive in movie.
We all dislike the picture, but my car likes it. There was sit until the
movie is over. Only then will the car start. I rent parking space in a new
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underground garage. The car doesn’t like it and stops in the driveway
every time. I plead with it. I kick the tires and pound the hood. I tell it
the exhaust fumes are piped in from the streets so cars will feel at home.
Nothing!
Answer ...............
11) After a long mgratory flight, it would seem that birds would be
completely exhausted. Actually this is not so. If they have not met with
any severe storms along the route, the birds recover quickly. After a few
hours of resting and feeding, the birds appear to be completely refreshed.
Credits for this seems to belong to a birds’s ability to soar and glide with
the wind currents for long periods of time, making the trip less tiring.
Answer ...............
Activity 4
Read the paragraph below carefully and decide what the writer’s main
purpose was in writing it, by answering the questions following.
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Activity 5
Read the paragraph below carefully and decide what the writer’s main
purpose was in writing it. Complete the statements following by choosing
among the options provided.
Example
Subject and verb have to agree and placing a comma between subject
and verb, is not correct.
The writer’s tone is
a. Serious b. Humorous c. Satirical d. Ironical
answer : d. Ironical
They may agree, disagree, feel shocked, they may even be amused.
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UNIT 8
BIAS
The writer reflects his/her bias when the writing does not give a through
presentation of the facts, or when facts are only partially presented or even
distorted or changed on purpose. Bias aims at convincing you that you should
believe as the writer does. Most writing is biased to some extent, because most
writers want to state and defend an opinion. Bias can be harmless or harmful.
To evaluate a piece of writing, it is important to recognize bias and an author’s
inclination toward a particular viewpoint.
A. WHAT IS BIAS?
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sides without reasons strong enough. For example, a teacher defends a truant
student not because he or she knows the student has acceptable reasons for what
he has done, but because the student happends to be the teacher’s nephew. This
teacher is definitely biased.
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Activity 1
Read the ad below, then answer the questions following by choosing
the best option.
From Nature with Love and Technology
Fresh and Tasty
Safe and Healthy
Straight from a Self-Flowing Springly Processed and Bottled with
modern, hygienic high technology equipements.
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
Sometimes the writer’s bias is direct and obvious, like in the above ad;
other times the bias is hidden and left for the reader to find out. In the latter case
the job of identifying bias becomes more difficult. Your experiences in doing
activity 1 must have given you some tips how to go about identifying bias. In
arriving at the bias in the AQUA ad you first tried to identify tone and purpose.
From these you were able to infer that the writer was biased: a praising tone and
persuasion as a purpose always imply bias. Then you looked at the words and
phrases used and you discovered that most of them had a very positive
connotation. Again you inferred from here that the writer was positively-biased.
Finally, you wanted to know whether the writer presented another viewpoint,
but he did not; he only gave his own viewpoint. You concluded then htat the
writer was not only positively biased but very strongly so.
To identify bias in a passage where the bias is hidden or not so strong,
you still can use the same procedures as you did with the ad, and apply the
following:
1. Analyze the tone and purpose. The author’s tone and purpose provides
important clues.
2. Analyze connotative meanings. Can you find many positive or
negative terms toward the subject?
3. Notice descriptive languae. What impression does the suthor want to
give his readers?
4. Look for opposing viewpoints. Does the author present only one
viewpoint (his own) or does he give both sides of the issue?
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Recognizing Bias
Look for loaded words – words that are charged with emotion (whether
positive or negative) can reveal an author’s opinion about his/her topic.
Watch out for stereotypes – if the author labels an entire group, the
writing is probably biased.
Notice vague language or generalizations – if the author isn’t using
specific language, this could be an indicator of bias.
Be on the lookout for one-sided arguments – if the author only presents
one side of an argument, his/her writing is probably biased.
Does the author present facts or opinions? Facts are what they are – the
truth. But opinions can be based on feelings, emotions, or prejudices,
which aren’t objective.
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
editorial staffs. Also, take note of how many ads the paper runs (not
including inserts which are often added after the fact). If there are large
number of printed ads that may indicate a paper is beholden to numerous
entities such as special interest groups, local and/or federal
governments, corporations etc. for funding.
2. Take notes as you read the article. Identify "who, what, when, where,
why and how" and make a note of any missing information or extra
analysis.
3. See if you could rewrite the article, using the same information, to tell a
completely different story.
4. Look at how the writer treats the people he is writing about. Do some
sources or witnesses "claim" their stories while others "explain" them?
Make notes of language that gives you a positive or negative feeling
about a piece of information, but which represents the writer's opinion,
and not a verifiable truth.
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5. Pay attention to the overall tone of the article. Does the feeling it gives
you relate to the information given (e.g. murder makes you feel sad) or
to the writer's opinion (e.g. a particular political party is scary)?
8. Does the writer try to identify with you or label you (or others)? Be wary
if you find yourself being pulled into a particular group as you read the
article. By asking you to identify with a group mentality ("regular guys,"
"working class," "concerned citizens," "mothers," "Christians," "teens,"
"intelligent people"), the writer may be expecting you to forget to think
for yourself. This can also be turned around to demonize a group.
Something innocuous will have quotes around it so as to appear as
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9. Observe the placement of stories. The stories on the front page are
considered to be more important than the stories in the back.
10. Consider how people are portrayed through pictures. A photo can make
someone look good, bad, noble, sleazy, etc. Ask yourself the following
questions: What impression does this photo imply about this person?
Could a more objective photo have been used?
11. Look for at least two sides to every story. A good reporter will allocate
adequate space in the story to present facts and figures supporting all
sides of an issue. Ask yourself if all sides of this argument or dispute
would agree that their views were represented fairly? If not, the story
may show bias.
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12. If statistics are provided or studies are mentioned, dig a little deeper.
Where did those statistics and studies come from? Who collected or
conducted them? Who funded the research? The best articles will reveal
this information.
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
Identifying Bias
1) Author
b) Google the author or institution to find out more about them. Once
you know more about the author, what is their stake in making this
argument? In other words, why do they care?
(For example, the president of the Plastic Bag Manufacturers
Association of America may be very knowledgeable about plastic
bags, but his argument against city-wide plastic bag bans would be
biased because he has a stake in protecting the plastic bag
manufacturing industry.)
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2) Publication
a) Who published it? (Sometimes the author and publisher are the
same, as on some websites or blogs)
b) Who pays to produce this publication or who sponsors it? What does
that tell you about the bias?
c) Who is the audience? What does that tell you about the bias?
3) Opposing Viewpoints
a) Does the author recognize a viewpoint that opposes his or her own?
If so, what is it?
b) Is that viewpoint presented objectively or emotionally?
c) List some quotations to support your claim.
4) Language
5) Overall, what would you say about the bias of this document?
Activity 2
Read the following passage and underline words and phrases that reveal
the author’s bias. What is the subject of the author’s bias? Example Greenpeace
is an organization dedicated on the preservation of the sea. Answer: dedicated;
this word has a positive connotation and reveals the author’s positive bias.
Continue the exercise!
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Activity 3
In unit 6, Tone, you have done activities focusing on tone in a series of
writings dealing with the same topic: the charity dinner at the Van Hilarys. Refer
to these writings, particularly the Reverend’s sermon, Mrs. Van Hilary’s later
to her son, and the article on charity balls.
Answer the following questions, comparing and contrasting the writings.
3) How does the writer use the tone to achieve the purpose?
Sermon:
Letter:
Article:
Activity 4
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
I think the true discovery of America is before us. I think the true
fulfillment of our spirit, of our people, of our mighty and immortal land, is yet
to come. I think the true discovery of our own democracy is still before us. And
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I think that all these things are certain as the morning, as inevitable as noon. I
think I speak for most men living when I say that our America is. Here, is now,
and beckons on before us, and that this glorious assurance is not only our living
hope, but our dream to be accomplished.
3) Give all the ideas that support, expand, explain, or describe the main
idea.
a.
b.
c.
d.
6) In what ways do you detect the author’s bias? With whom does his
sympathy seem to be?
Answer.............
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GALILEO’S VISION
BY DAVID WHITE
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
UNIT 9
DRAWING CONLUSIONS
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a new purse, and that she is in the purse aisle of a store, you can conclude that
she will buy a new purse. Buying the purse is the next logical step, but there is
no inference that suggests she has made the decision to purchase the new purse.
Many times the author uses description and gives hints instead of giving
away too much information. This makes the story more exciting and
interesting. The reader needs to "draw a conclusion" about what the author
means. According to Hayakawa (2014), when we draw a conclusion, we take
clues the author has given us and use what we already know from our own
experiences to help us understand what is happening in the story.
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fate of British sea captain William Bligh (1754-1817). In four out of the five
films made about the real life mutiny on board the ship Bligh commanded, the
HMAV* Bounty, Bligh is portrayed as one of the most viscously cruel men ever
to captain a crew. In the movie accounts of the event, Bligh is so brutal his crew
justifiably mutinies and sets him adrift, thinking he will die at sea. Yet by all
historical accounts, the worst thing Bligh did to his men was make them drink
a mixture of sauerkraut and lime juice to fight off the then deadly disease known
as scurvy. Brute that Bligh was, he also insisted that his men bathe and exercise
regularly. While Bligh did use the whip as punishment, he was no different from
any other sea captain of his day, and he relied on such brutal punishments much
less than most. Apparently, Bligh's biggest mistake was to let his men spend six
months on the gorgeous tropical island of Tahiti, while he waited for the
ripening of the breadfruit crop he was supposed to carry back to England for
study. By the time the breadfruit plant was sapling size and Bligh ready to
depart, many crew members had made themselves at home on the island. When
the Bounty finally set sail in 1789, crew members were furious at Bligh for
making them leave. It wasn't long before that fury exploded into an open
rebellion that ended with the crew, led by second-in-command Fletcher
Christian, setting Bligh and his remaining supporters adrift in a twenty-three-
foot-long launch. Bligh, who was a superb navigator, managed to sail across the
Pacific and lived to tell his story in court. However, not surprisingly, some
members of Fletcher Christian's family went to great lengths to make Fletcher
seem the true hero and Bligh a villain. Although the authentic story of what
actually happened on the HMAV Bounty is thoroughly documented, film
makers always liked Fletcher's story better. It has turned out to be the one that
most people, particularly movie fans, believe to be the true "history" of mutiny
on the Bounty.
*His Majesty's Armed Vessel
Did you notice how the writer carefully selected her material to lead
readers to her intended conclusion: The story of William Bligh illustrates how
uninterested movie makers generally are in historical fact? Bligh's sad tale is the
follow up to the author's opening, and slightly sarcastic, question: "Are you one
of those trusting souls who thinks that movie accounts of historical events are
accurate?" While the phrase "trusting souls" is already an indication that the
author does not agree, the constant contrast between Bligh's film image and the
details of his story force the reader to arrive at the writer's foregone conclusion:
It's probably not wise to learn your history from movies.
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Activity 1
Read the selection and answer the questions.
Coffee has been around for over 700 years. It has been used in foods,
wines, and medicine. It grows in several places in the world such as India,
Africa, United States, Mexico, South America, Central America, and the West
Indies. There are over 100 types of coffee; a coffee is usually named for the area
in which it is grown. Different areas of the world prefer different types of coffee.
Caffeine, which is a stimulant, is found in coffee, and if it is taken out, the coffee
is called decaffeinated. Many people all over the world drink coffee.
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The Sahara desert is the largest desert in the world and takes up over
three million square miles, which is almost the size of the United States. The
Sahara desert is found in Africa. The Sahara isn't all just sand. It has almost 100
oases or springs of water. Oil and gas can be found under this vast desert. There
are other natural resources such as: copper, iron, ore, and uranium. The desert
doesn't get much rain. There aren't any paved roads, but cars can be driven on
the desert floor. There are about two million people who live in the large desert.
Salmon are born in fresh water but travel to salt water to live their lives
and then travel back upstream to where they spawn more salmon before they
die. Salmon traveling upstream are very determined to get back to where they
were born. They fight against currents, whirlpools, and waterfalls; even though,
man has placed some obstacles in the salmon's way by building dams or rivers.
Once the salmon reaches its birthplace, it lays eggs. These eggs hatch, and the
process begins again.
What sits on every dinner table in the United States? We use it every
day on our food but rarely think about it. Salt is an extremely important mineral
that our bodies need, but too much salt is not good for us. China and the United
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States produce the most salt in the world. Salt comes from dried seawater.
Indians long ago evaporated seawater and made salt to season their food. Salt is
used in many ways. Glass and soap contain salt. It is used to de-ice roads in
winter. Also, it is used in medicine, oil refining, sewage treatment, cattle feed,
and even to soften hard water. As you can see, salt is a very important mineral.
William Shakespeare was an actor, poet, and playwright. His plays are
timeless because he deals with the motivating forces behind the daily choices
that man makes. He expresses himself in a lyrical way. He was born in England
in 1564 and died in 1616. He understood man so well that what he had to say
years ago still is appropriate about man today. He continues to influence many
philosophers and writers.
Carla really wanted a puppy, but her parents didn't care for dogs. Most
of her friends had dogs, and she really enjoyed playing with them. Every time
she asked her parents, they would say, "They are a lot of responsibility. You
have to feed and play with them. Also, when they are puppies, they needed to
be trained." Although her parents didn't believe she was mature enough to have
a dog, she knew that she take could care of one. Carla knew she wasn't the most
responsible person when it came to taking care of her toys, but a puppy would
be different. Each day she made a concentrated effort to pick up her toys and
help out around the house. She knew her parents were pleased with her new,
responsible attitude. She was hoping her hard work would finally pay off. When
she came home from school, she heard a whining noise coming from a box with
air holes. Could this be what she thought it was?
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Activity 2
Read the selection and answer the questions.
Julio and his father had been looking forward to their fishing trip for
weeks. They didn't take much food with them on the trip. When they started
fishing they were quickly approached by a forest ranger. He asked Julio's father
if he had a fishing license. Julio's father reached into his wallet and suddenly
got a terrified look on his face. Julio was disappointed that night as he ate dinner.
1) Why did Julio and his father not take much food with them on the trip?
a. They didn't want to eat too much
b. They didn't have any food at their house
c. They were planning on eating the fish that they caught
d. They don't like to eat fish
Richard and Luis had been hiking for hours. Richard had to carry Luis
for the last few miles of the hike. Sweat was rolling down his face as the sun
shone directly overhead.
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Annie could hear the music playing over the loud speaker in the mall.
She and her mother were shopping for a present for her father. Annie could see
a big line in the center of the mall. She wondered what all the people were
waiting for. She then heard a jolly "HO! HO! HO!" from the center of the crowd
and she quickly realized what the people were waiting on. As Annie and her
mother walked through the mall, she noticed that the store windows were
decorated with green, white, and red decorations.
7) Which of the following is a conclusion that can be drawn from the story?
a. Annie will get what she wants for Christmas
b. Annie and her mother go to the mall often
c. Santa Claus is coming to town
d. the store windows were decorated for Christmas
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REFERENCES
Pictures
Blendspace. (2008). Drawing Conclusions. Available at:
http://www.blendspace.com/lessons/D-cm36x9zd1Ug/drawing-
conclusions. Accessed on April, 6th, 2015.
Rees, Jasper. (2012). Theartsdesk Q&A: Novelist Hilary Mantel. Available at:
www.theartsdesk.com/tv/theartsdesk-qa-novelist-hilary-mantel.html.
Accessed on April, 3rd, 2015.
800 Score Prep Course. (2012). Some Common Reading Comprehension Tones.
Available at: www.800score.com/readingcomp_12.html. Accessed on
April, 4th, 2015.
Virginia Beach City Public Schools. (2010). Author’s Purpose. Available at:
www.irc.vbchools.com. Accessed on April, 5th, 2015.
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Materials
Cliff Notes. 2014. SAT: Strategy for Critical Reading Passage. Accessed on
http://cliffsnotes.com/test-prep/college-entrance-exam/sat-strategy-
for-critical-reading-passages.
Fowler, H. Ramsey. 1986. The Little Brown Handbook. Boston: Little, Brown.
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Purdue Online Writing Lab. 2010. APA Stylistic: Avoiding Bias. Accessed on
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resourse/560/14/
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ANSWER KEY
UNIT 3
Activity 2
a. 1. F
2. NF (The story says a Christmas pie, not a plup pie)
3. NF (No indication that there is a chair)
b. 1. F
2. NF (It is not mentioned in the story)
3. NF (It is not stated in the story)
c. 1. F
2. NF (The story doesn’t prove it, Mary is not “he”, it refers to “her””
3. NF (The story doesn’t prove this)
4. NF (The story doesn’t mention this)
5. NF (The story doesn’t prove this)
UNIT 4
Activity 3
1. U
Opinion: At the present time, American unions are undergoing a serious
crisis. No facts are given to justify that unions win fewer battles.
2. U
Opinion: If you want to be healthy, walk, don’t run. The author gives
irrelevant facts. The facts support that running causes more accidents
than walking, not that it less healthy.
3. J
Opinion: The chemist is essential in our life today. All the facts the
author presents are verifiable and relevant.
UNIT 5
Activity 1
1. F
2. G
3. F
4. G
5. G
6. F
7. F
8. F
9. G
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
10. G
11. G
12. G
13. F
14. F
UNIT 6
Activity 2
1. S
The writer’s tone is optimistic. He believes that the cognitive scientists
will have success. He uses the words promise, breakthough, the most
sophisticated modern computer is no match for....., even very small
children can perceive and anticipate.
2. S
The writer’s tone is serious and supportive/sympathetic towards the
need of counseling centers and meeting places for parents. The words
and phrases used are lean over the back fence, harder and harder,
isolated, easy camaraderie, it’s about time.
3. O
The writer’s tone is without emotion. He simply states facts.
4. S
The writer’s tone is emotional and disapproving. The words used are
huge bear of a man, did not inspire confidence, even his own mother,
incompetent, managed to elienate, defeat.
UNIT 7
Activity 1
1. NA
2. A To give facts whether or not schools treat girls differently from
boys
3. A To argue that the poor do not deserve bad schools
4. NA
5. A To explain how one’s name can influence one’ life
6. NA
7. A To warn us that our wetlands are disappearing
8. A To give information on the deepsea geysers of the Atlantic
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
UNIT 8
Activity 1
1. C
Prasising; notice the words fresh, tasty, healthy, modern, hygienic
pioneer, first awarded.
2. A
Persuade to buy AQUA
3. A
AQUA bottled water
4. C
Strongly positive. The author doesn’t mention any shortcomings at all.
UNIT 9
Activity 2
1. C
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. B
6. C
7. D
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GLOSSARIES
A
Approach The act of moving or becoming near or nearer to
someone or something: the act of approaching: an act or
occurrence in which something comes nearer.
Assertions A positive statement, usually made without an attempt at
furnishing evidence.
B
Betterment The act or result of making something better.
Buzzword An important-sounding usually technical word or phrase
often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen.
C
Connotations The act of connoting; the suggesting of an additional
meaning for a word or expression, apart from its explicit
meaning.
Cynicism Having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic.
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F
Faulty Containing a fault or defect; imperfect or defective.
Follies The state of quality of being foolish; lack of
understanding or sense.
Fanciful Showing imagination : unusual and appealing.
Frantic Desperate or wild with excitement, passion, fear, pain,
etc.; frenzied.
H
Hramful Of a kind likely to be damaging : injurious.
Harmless Without injury; unhurt; unharmed.
I
Isolated Also called language isolate. Linguistics are a language
with nodemonstrable genetic relationship, as Basque.
Intoxicated Mentally or emotionally exhilarated.
Innocuous Producing no injury : harmless.
J
Joyous Full of happiness and joy.
K
Knights A heroic champion of a lady or of a cause or principle.
L
Lighthearted Cheerfully optimistic and hopeful; free from care,
anxiety, or seriousness
M
Misused To use (something) incorrectly and unfairly.
Misinterpreted To understand or explain (something) incorrectly : to
interpret (something) incorrectly.
Masked Disguised; hidden: masked treachery.
O
Obvious Easy for the mind to understand or recognize or see or
notice.
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P
Profiteering A person who seeks or exacts exorbitant protis,
especially through the same of scarce or rationed goods.
Purse An amount of money that a person, organization, or
government has available to use.
Playwright A writer of plays; dramatist.
R
Ridicule Speech or action intended to cause contemtuous laughter
at a personor thing; derision or ridiculed and ridiculing.
Refining To bring to a fine or a pure state; free from impurities.
S
Skeptical Not convinced that something is true; doubtful.
Selfish Concerned excessively or exclusively with
oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own
advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for
others
Soelemn Characterized or marked by seriousness or sincerity.
Somber Extremely serious; grave.
T
Thoughfully Characterized by careful reasoned thinking.
U
Undisputed To argue, debate, or quarrel about (something).
Unethical Lacking moral principles; unwilling to adhere to proper
rules of conduct.
Urguing An act of urging; impelling action, influence, or force;
impulse.
V
Verifiable To prove the truth of, as by evidence or testimony;
confirm; substantiate:
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CRITICAL READING COMPREHENSION
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