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A normal reader reads a text to get a basic grasp of the text, a critical reader reads

to formjudgements about HOW THE TEXT works.

A normal reader absorbs and understands the text; a critical reader analyzes,

interprets and evaluates. A normal reader concentrates on WHAT THE TEXT says; a

critical reader tries to understand WHAT THE TEXT DOES AND MEANS.

The questions a normal reader asks are, What is the text saying? and What

information can I get out of t?

The critical reader asks, How does the text work? How is it argued? What are the

choices made? The patterns that result? What kinds ofreasoning and evidence

are used? What are the underlying assumptions and perspectives? What does

the text mean? Is the text effective? How can I use it to develop my own

argument?

A normal reader goes WITH THE TEXT whereas the critical reader goes AGAINST

THE TEXT, in a sense, by questioning his assumptions and argument and by

interpreting meaning in context. Finally, a normal readers response is a

restatement and summary of the text whereas the critical readers responses

include description, interpretation and evaluation.

Critical reading, is a more ACTIVE way of reading than normal reading. It is a deeper

and more complex engagement with a text. Critical reading is a process of

analyzing, interpreting and sometimes, evaluating the larger meanings of

a text and how those meanings are created by the text. When we read critically, we

use various skills to QUESTION both the text and our reading of it. We should read

critically.

To read critically, you must think critically. Critical thinking involves several related

mental processes: analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. Each of these

thinking processes helps you to question the text in different ways. The questions

you ask will depend on the type of text you are reading and general questions

should lead to more specific questions. Questions should also consider

relationships between the text and the author, the reader and the context.

While reading critically, you interact with the text by highlighting important points,

taking notes, testing answers to your questions, brainstorming, outlining,

describing and reflecting on your own reading and thinking.

(I) ANALYSIS INVOLVES THE UNDERSTANDING OF..

(1) LANGUAGE (Words, grammar, figures of speech, complexity of

language etc)

(2) CONTENT (Main ideas or thesis, supporting ideas or evidence,

examples etc.)

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(3) STRUCTURE (Organization, Attitude and tone, Style)

(II) INTERPRETATION INVOLVES..

(1) Understanding the context, association and reference.

(2) Understanding the type of reasoning.

(3) What do the patterns of the argument mean?

(4) Understanding the underlying meanings.

(5) Identifying the assumptions and drawing conclusions.

(III) EVALUATION INVOLVES..

Asking How well does the text do what it does? What is its value?

Is the thesis strong? Are the points argued well? Are the examples valid?

Are the sources reliable? Is the argument logically consistent and

convincing?

After mastering the techniques of Analysis, Interpretation and

Evaluation, one should be able to write or say.

1. What a text says restatement talks about the same topic as the

original text.

2. What a text does description discusses aspects of the discussion

itself.

3. What a text means interpretation analyzes the text and asserts a

meaning for the text as a whole.

Vocabulary

Add to your vocabulary through your reading and support that with your vocab

books and word lists. Check a dictionary for meanings and a thesaurus for word

groups. Above all, however, consider the contexts that you find the words in. This

would help you remember their meanings and build familiarity with usage. Pay

attention to the conventions followed with the use of words, and recognize the

thoughts and ideas they are intended to reflect. Recognize the appropriate use of

idiom (such as idioms, phrasal verbs, prepositional phrases, correlative conjunctions

and the like). Though idiomatic expressions are frequently categorized as

grammatical tools, they are akin to vocabulary since they are based more on

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convention or tradition than on conventional grammar rules.

Grammarelements in R.C.

Once in a while, say, once or twice a week, take one of the larger paragraphs from

what you read and treat it as a grammar exercise, applying the different things thatyou've learnt in your preparation - examine different aspects of grammar and the

role they play in sentence structure. One day look at subjects (whether nouns or

noun phrases/clauses), one day at verbs, one day at modifiers, one day at

prepositional use, and so on. This will really help, since you'll build familiarity with

these elements.

Going further, when reading an (apparently) complicated sentence, divide it into its

components - main clauses and subordinate clauses/phrases. Examine the structure

in each component. Look at the placement of the subordinate clauses/phrases to

determine their purpose. Look at the connectives (relative pronouns, prepositions,

conjunctions) to understand what they connect, and how. Then have a look at the

entire sentence again. You will not only understand the effectiveness of its

construction, you will also comprehend it correctly.

Apart from examining the structure of sentences, identify connections and

understand placement since these are elements that render sentences logical and

unambiguous. Practice in this manner will give you the familiarity that will help you

improve in both, the application of grammar, and comprehension.

Reasoning

When reading articles that carry criticism, opinions, evaluation, recommendations,etc., do apply the elements of logical and verbal reasoning that you have gathered

in class and in your preparation. Recognize situations, work out their reasoning, and

evaluate arguments. Consider both Deductive and Inductive-constructions.

Deductive, being the more definite, are relatively easy to spot; deduction operates

by

discovering the necessary implications of established truths; established

generalizations are applied either to other generalizations or to specific cases in

order to discover new conclusions that necessarily follow. In a deductive argument,

if the premises are true and if the argument is valid then the conclusion must also

be true. The syllogism is a typical way that deductive arguments are structured.

Inductive conclusions are to be arrived at with care; induction forms conclusions

that

reach beyond the premises (or evidence), beyond the current boundaries of

knowledge, thus making inductive conclusions probable rather than certain. At the

heart of inductive thinking is the "inductive leap," the stretch of imagination that

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draws a reasonable inference from the available information. Because inductive

conclusions exist along a range of probability, they can be made stronger or

weaker.

This sort of practice will help you deal with not only the reasoning in the reading

that you do, but also the content in Critical Reasoning questions, were they to

appear in the CAT. All this would mean greater familiarity and better ability, notonly with specific question-types, but also with Reading Comprehension, since you

would be carefully examining what you read.