PAL BEG Critical Reading: Questions to Ask

Name: Date: Hour:

Category / What to ask as you read:
Purpose / 1. Why did the author write this article? to persuade? to inform? to entertain? to explain? to refute? to contrast? to record personal reactions?
2. Who is the intended audience?
3. What is the underlying thesis or premise of this article?
4. What is the author's point of view? (Pro, Con, Neutral?)
5. What conclusions, inferences, solutions, or implications does the author reach?
6. Does the type of article shape or limit the information?
Authority / INTERNAL
1. What are the author's qualifications to write on this topic?
2. Is the author an expert, or does s/he quote experts?
3. Was the author a witness or participant?
EXTERNAL
4. Is the publication reliable and reputable?
5. Do you have full publication data?
6. Is the information current? Does the information need to be current?
7. Is the article intended to be factual or editorial?
Logic / 1. Can you identify any fallacies in logic?
2. What points has the author selected? Why?
3. What points has the author omitted? Why?
4. How has the author organized the information?
5. Is the reasoning logical and valid?
6. What, if any, irrelevant material or arguments are presented? Why?
Bias / 1. Is the author biased or objective?
2. What, if any, are the author's affiliations?
3. Do historical reasons affect the objectivity of the author or his sources?
4. What other points of view may exist but have not been discussed?
5. What, if any, emotionally loaded language does the author use? Why? Give examples.
6. What, if any, figurative language (analogies, metaphors, similes, etc.) does the author use? Why? Give examples.
7. Do the author's ideas and conclusions relate to your own experiences?
8. Does the author's conclusion mesh with any previous reading, listening, or viewing you have done on this topic?
Evidence / 1. Are the statements fact, opinion, or a combination of both?
2. Is the evidence documented or undocumented?
3. Has the author provided necessary background material on the topic?
4. If the answer to #3 is no, would the information be difficult to find?
5. Does the author's argument pass the RET test?
-- Is the evidence the RIGHT kind of evidence?
-- Is ENOUGH evidence given?
-- Is the evidence TRUE?
6. What supporting FIRES (Facts, Incidents, Reasons, Examples/Evidence, Statistics) does the author give for his premise?
Gain / 1. What does the author have to gain from this article? Power? Money? Influence? Reputation? Promotion? Personal meaning?
2. What other factors may have influenced the author's writing?