9780072982909

Designed for reading courses at the intermediate and advanced level,Developing Critical Reading Skillsuses practice prose similar to the kind that students will encounter in the classroom, encouraging them to analyze, interpret, question, and even challenge the words of the writer. The seventh edition continues to feature a wide range of interesting and diverse selections, excellent coverage of critical reading skills, and a concluding section on reading short stories. It now also includes coverage of reading textbooks and interpreting visuals.

New to this edition
Introduction
An Overview of the Text and the Reading Process
Defining the Reading Process
Beyond Decoding--The Requirements of Reading
Becoming a First-Rate Reader
The Characteristics of Good Readers
Types of Texts You Will Read in College
How to Read This Textbook (and Other Textbooks)
Reading with a Pencil
Improving Your Vocabulary
Vocabulary in Perspective
Daily Reading and Vocabulary Improvement
Suggestions for Vocabulary Improvement
Using the Dictionary
Using Context Clues
PART 1: Reading for Understanding: Practice in Basic Comprehension Skills
1: Reading for the Main Idea and Author's Purpose
The Main Idea of the Paragraph
Main Idea and Controlling Idea
Placement of the Main Idea
Implied Main Ideas
Levels of Support
The Author's Purpose and Modes of Discourse
Narration
Description
Exposition
Persuasion
Mixed Modes of Discourse
Chapter Exercises
E.D. Hirsch, Jr. from Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know*
Eric Schlosser from Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Scott Turow "To Kill or Not to Kill"
Practice Essay
Laura Hillenbrand from Seabiscuit: An American Legend
On the Web
2: Reading between the Lines: Making Accurate Inferences
Facts and Inferences
Inferences Defined
Problems with Inferences
Using Evidence to Make Inferences
Making Open-Ended Inferences
Making Inferences with Visual Material
Political Cartoons
Graphs and Charts
Chapter Exercises
Jan Yoors from The Gypsies
Peter Bernstein from The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession
Diane Ackerman from A Natural History of the Senses
Practice Essay
Conrad Phillip Kottak "Potlatching," from Anthropology: An Exploration of Human Diversity*
On the Web
PART 2: Discovering Meaning: The Importance of Form
3: Four Methods of Paragraph Development
Modes of Discourse and Methods of Development Compared
Methods of Paragraph Development
Facts and Statistics
Examples and Illustration
Illustration in Textbooks
Process
Comparison and Contrast
Comparison and Contrast in Textbooks
Combination of Methods
Conclusion: Methods of Development and Patterns of Thought
Chapter Exercises
Paul W. Ewald from Plague Time*
Daniel Duane from Caught Inside: A Surfers Year on the California Coast
Suketu Mehta "Mumbai: A Lovers Embrace"
Practice Essay
Rose Del Castillo Guilbault "Book of Dreams: The Sears Roebuck Catalog"
In the Bookstore
4. Four More Methods of Paragraph Development
Methods of Paragraph Development: The Second Group
Cause and Effect
Cause and Effect in Visual Material
Classification and Analysis
Analysis in Textbooks
Definition
Definition in Textbooks
Analogy
Combination of Methods
Conclusion: Methods of Development and Patterns of Thought
Chapter Exercises
James E. Rosenbaum "It's Time to Tell the Kids: If Your Don't Do Well in High School, You Won't Do Well in College (or on the Job)"
Mark Schapiro "Muddy Waters"
Paul Ewald from Plague Time
Practice Essay
Pico Iyer "In Praise of the Humble Comma"
On the Web
5. Patterns of Paragraph Organization
Patterns of Organization Defined
Chronological Order
Spatial Order
Deductive Order
Inductive Order
Coherence in Paragraphs
Transitions
Repetition of Key Words and Phrases
Chapter Exercises
Sandra Mackey from The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom*
David Quammers "Planet of Weeds"
Tom Bissell "A Comets Tale"
Practice Essay
Castle Freeman, Jr. "Surviving Deer Season: A Lesson in Ambiguity"
On the Web
PART 3. Discovering Meaning: The Importance of Language
6. Language and Its Effects on the Reader
Denotation and Connotation
Connotation and Synonyms
Connotation and Levels of Language
Connotative Restrictions
How Denotation and Connotation Work Together
Connotation in Fiction
Figurative Language
Metaphors and Similes
Uses of Metaphors and Similes
Playful Aspects of Figurative Language
Personification
Language Misused and Abused
Clichs
Code Words
Doublespeak
Euphemisms
Jargon
Politically Correct Language
Sneer Words
Chapter Exercises
Mark Edmundson from Teacher: The One Who Made the Difference*
Mark Abley from Beyond Forget: Rediscovering the Prairies*
Margaret Atwood "The View from the Backyard"
Practice Essay
Virginia Woolf "The Death of the Moth"
In the Bookstore and At the Movies
7. Tone, Point of View, and Allusion
Point of View
An Overview of Tone
Common Varieties of Tone
Tone in Textbooks
Tone in Fiction
Tone in Nonfiction Prose
A Special Case: Sentimentality
Tone Continued: More Difficult Varieties
Wit
Irony
Sarcasm
Cynicism
Satire
Allusion
Special Effects
Understatement
Hyperbole
Alliteration
Repetition for Effect
Unusual Sentence Structure
Chapter Exercises
Ian Frazier from On the Rez
Sissela Bok from Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation
Gerald Durrell "The Life and Death of Cholmondeley"
Practice Essay
Kurt Wiesenfeld "Making the Grade"
On the Web
PART 4. Reading Critically
8. Elements of Critical Reading
Critical Reading Defined
The Readers Responsibilities
Developing a Worldview
Two World MapsTwo Worldviews
The Structure of Arguments
The Test of a Good Argument
Taking Arguments Apart
The Question of Authority
Identifying Claims
Identifying Claims in Editorials
Unstated Assumptions
The Importance of Definition in Arguments
Analyzing Visual Images
Charts and Graphs
Photographs
On the Web
Evaluating Evidence
The Refutation
Chapter Exercises: Evaluating Editorials
Jeff Jacoby "Fishing for Sport Is Cruel, Inhumane"
David Orr "The Speed of Sound"
Arthur Levine "CollegeMore Than Serving Time"
Cynthia Tucker "Our Opinion: Marriage Needs Straight Talk"
Brent Staples "Treat the Epidemic Behind Bars Before It Hits the Streets"
9. Evaluating Arguments: Problems in Critical Reading
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Problems with Inductive Reasoning
Hasty Generalizations and Stereotyping
Incorrect Sampling
Problems with Deductive Reasoning
Emotional Appeals in Arguments
Appeal to Authority
Appeal to Fear
Appeal to Patriotism
Appeal to Pity or Sympathy
Appeal to Prejudice
Appeal to Tradition
Bandwagon Appeal
Flattery
Just Plain Folks
Ridicule
Testimonial
Transfer
Logical Fallacies: Part I
Ad Hominem Argument
Begging the Question
Cause-Effect Fallacies
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Either-Or Fallacy
Evasion
Logical Fallacies: Part 2
False Analogy
Oversimplification
Rationalization
Red Herring
Slippery Slope
Two Wrongs Make a Right
Appeals and Fallacies in Advertising
Political Cartoons
Bias and Other Deceptive Techniques
Bias
Misuse of Authority
Slanting
Distortion
Chapter Exercises
Norman Solomon "News Flash!"
Elayne Rapping from The Looking Glass World of Nonfiction TV
*Joel Best "Mutant Statistics"
10. Analyzing Web Sites
Reading Online versus Reading Print
Search Engines
Assessing Web Sites
The Anatomy of a Web Site
Web Sites for Critical Reading Skills
Web Sites for Online Reading
How Others See Us--Foreign News Sources
PART 5. Reading Essays and Articles
Introduction to Reading Essays
Why Read Essays in the First Place?
The Characteristics of an Essay
The Parts of an Essay
How to Read an Essay
Analyzing Essays: Questions to Ask
Practice Essay
Stephen Jay Gould "Preposterous: What Has Happened to the Rhinoceros Is as Hard to Fathom as the Beast Itself"
Analysis of Practice Essay
Writing Paraphrases
Writing Summaries
Why Write Summaries?
How to Write a Summary
Sample Summary
Twelve Essays and Articles for Further Practice
Gish Jen "An Ethnic Trump"
Salman Rushdie "On Leavened Bread"
Ryszard Kapuscinski "The Truck: Hitching Through Hell"
Andrei Codrescu "Faux Chicken & Phony Furniture: Notes of an Alien Son"
Malcolm Gladwell "The Law of the Few"
Michael Pollan "How Flowers Changed the World"
Samuel H. Scudder "In the Laboratory with Agassiz"
Stephen L. Carter "The Insufficiency of Honesty"
Sissela Bok "Harmless Lying"
Evan Imber-Black "Talk Show Telling Versus Authentic Telling: The Effects of the Popular Media on Secrecy and Openness"
John McPhee "Los Angeles Against the Mountains"
U.S. Department of Defense "Psy-Ops Patrol" (Photo Essay)
PART 6. Reading and Studying Textbook Materials
The Structure of Modern Textbooks
Making Efficient Use of Study Time
The SQ3R Study Method
Applying the SQ3R Method
Sample Textbook Selection
Benjamin B. Lahey "Memory" from Psychology: An Introduction
PART 7. Reading Short Stories
Questions about Plot
Questions about Characters
Questions about Theme
Leo Tolstoy "How Much Land Does a Man Need?"
Ryunosuke Akutagawa "In a Grove"
Jamaica Kincaid "Girl"
T.C. Boyle "Chicxulub"

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Developing Critical Reading Skills

Developing Critical Reading Skills

007298290X

Summary

Table of Contents

Introduction

An Overview of the Text and the Reading Process

Defining the Reading Process

Beyond Decoding--The Requirements of Reading

Becoming a First-Rate Reader

*The Characteristics of Good Readers

*Types of Texts You Will Read in College

*How to Read This Textbook (and Other Textbooks)

Reading with a Pencil

Improving Your Vocabulary

Vocabulary in Perspective

*Daily Reading and Vocabulary Improvement

Suggestions for Vocabulary Improvement

Using the Dictionary

Using Context Clues

PART 1: Reading for Understanding: Practice in Basic Comprehension Skills

1: Reading for the Main Idea and Author's Purpose

The Main Idea of the Paragraph

Main Idea and Controlling Idea

Placement of the Main Idea

Implied Main Ideas

Levels of Support

The Author's Purpose and Modes of Discourse

Narration

Description

Exposition

Persuasion

Mixed Modes of Discourse

Chapter Exercises

E.D. Hirsch, Jr. from Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know

Eric Schlosser from Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

*Scott Turow "To Kill or Not to Kill"

Practice Essay

Laura Hillenbrand from Seabiscuit: An American Legend

On the Web

2: Reading between the Lines: Making Accurate Inferences

Facts and Inferences

*Inferences Defined

Problems with Inferences

Using Evidence to Make Inferences

Making Open-Ended Inferences

*Making Inferences with Visual Material

*Political Cartoons

*Graphs and Charts

Chapter Exercises

Jan Yoors from The Gypsies

*Peter Bernstein from The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession

Diane Ackerman from A Natural History of the Senses

Practice Essay

*Conrad Phillip Kottak "Potlatching," from Anthropology: An Exploration of Human Diversity

On the Web

PART 2: Discovering Meaning: The Importance of Form

3: Four Methods of Paragraph Development

Modes of Discourse and Methods of Development Compared

Methods of Paragraph Development

Facts and Statistics

Examples and Illustration

*Illustration in Textbooks

Process

Comparison and Contrast

*Comparison and Contrast in Textbooks

Combination of Methods

Conclusion: Methods of Development and Patterns of Thought

Chapter Exercises

*Paul W. Ewald from Plague Time

Daniel Duane from Caught Inside: A Surfers Year on the California Coast

Suketu Mehta "Mumbai: A Lovers Embrace"

Practice Essay

Rose Del Castillo Guilbault "Book of Dreams: The Sears Roebuck Catalog"

In the Bookstore

4. Four More Methods of Paragraph Development

Methods of Paragraph Development: The Second Group

Cause and Effect

Peter Bernstein from The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession*

Conrad Phillip Kottak "Potlatching," from Anthropology: An Exploration of Human Diversity*

Paul W. Ewald from Plague Time*

Paul Ewald from Plague Time*

Sandra Mackey from The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom*

Mark Edmundson from Teacher: The One Who Made the Difference*

Mark Abley from Beyond Forget: Rediscovering the Prairies*