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Chapter 2
Critical Reading and
Cr
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t
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Having worked with the summary, students should now be able to identify the purpose, structure and thesis in an
article and be able to formulate their own thesis. In preparation for the later synthesis assignments, students will
need to recognize the difference between informative (expository) and persuasive writing, as well as informative
and persuasive thesis statements. Incorporating summary, the critique assignment requires that students both
understand what they have read and evaluate it. They should have summarized some articles pertaining to the topic of
the critique before attempting the critique itself in order to be able to succeed at evaluating what they have read. As
some students may interpret the word “critique” to mean a harsh attack on something, it may be necessary to stress
that a critique is an evaluation or an assessment, and that it can be positive.
In Chapter 2, “The Right to Bury the (Online) Past” by Liza Tucker provides the basis for a model critique that
examines the following assertions: that those who feel aggrieved by the infinitely log memory of the wed should have
the right to petition search engine companies to ask that they delist links to offensive or irrelevant and needlessly
damaging materials.
In creating a critique, students should first ask what assumptions the author holds. Then, students should determine
whether those assumptions are valid by asking whether the information presented is accurate and significant, whether
the information has been presented logically and fairly, and whether the author has defined key terms clearly and
unambiguously. Only after students have answered these questions and made notes should they proceed with writing
PEER FEEDBACK CHECKLIST: CRITIQUE
Does the critique
___ introduce and clearly identify author, title of article, and subject matter?
___ identify the author’s thesis and purpose?
___ state, within the first two paragraphs, the student’s position (evaluation) along with the points the
student intends to address?
___ restate the author’s key ideas logically and concisely in the student’s own words?
___ restate the author’s ideas accurately?
___ examine the author’s assumptions?
___ analyze the author’s language and logic in detail, supported by references to the text?
___ establish a clear relationship between the author’s thesis and the student’s evaluation points?
___ evaluate the strengths of the article before proceeding to evaluate its weaknesses?
___ combine analysis of the article with response to the author’s argument?
___ maintain an objective tone?
___ quote accurately and indicate changes to quotes with ellipses or brackets?
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STUDENT RESOURCES
ACADEMIC WRITING: CRITICAL R
EVIEWS
The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison provides many helpful links for various
writing assignments, one of which is a critique.
WRITING TUTORIAL SERVICES AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY, B
LOOMINGTON
This site provides a good discussion of critiquing a book under “Writing Book Reviews.” Most of the