Synopses & Reviews
Although the world has changed a lot since the first edition, the underlying premise of
Developing Critical Reading Skills has not. The premise of the text is that good reading and clear thinking go hand in hand. For this reason, it emphasizes practice in sustained, analytical reading. Students first work with high-quality short passages before moving on to more substantive pieces of greater complexity. The readings explore diverse subjects: anthropology, sports, human behavior, politics, social policy, education, ethics, autobiography, personal reminiscence, the minority and immigrant experience, humor, satire, and so forth. The passages also reflect diverse writing styles, thereby giving students the experience of reading high-level prose by its best practitioners.
This book succeeds when students become more self-assured about their reading and when they recognize that reading wellwith confidence, fluency, and enjoymentis a significant part of their emotional and academic lives. As the books epigram by Tobias Wolff says: “A true piece of writing is a dangerous thing. It can change your life.” Students will feel genuine excitement when they encounter a writer who shows them a new way of looking at their lives and at the world. It is this feelingthis inspirationthat Deanne Spears imparts.
About the Author
McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide
Table of Contents
Preface Preface to the Student An Overview of the Text The Characteristics of Good Readers Online Learning Centers Becoming a First-Rate Reader College Reading Assignments How to Read This Textbook (and other Textbooks) Getting the Most out of This Text Part I reading for Understanding: Practice in Basic Comprehension Skills Chapter 1 Building a Foundation: Vocabulary, Annotating, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing Improving Your Vocabulary Vocabulary in Perspective Daily Reading and Vocabulary Improvement- A Personal Sidenote Further Suggestions for Vocabulary Improvement Using the Dictionary Using Context Clues Annotating- Reading with a Pencil in Your Hand Writing Paraphrases Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Mark Stevens, “Chief Josephs Revenge” Selection 2: Michele Simon, from Appetite for Profit Selection 3: Sandra Mackey, from The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom Practice Essay: Laura Hillendbrand, from Seabiscuit: An American Legend Writing Summaries How to Write a Summary Chapter 2 Reading for the Main Idea and Authors Purpose Main Idea in Paragraphs Main Idea and Controlling Idea Placement of the Main Idea Implied Main Ideas Levels of SupportMajor and Minor Supporting Details The Authors Purpose and Modes of Discourse Narration Description Exposition Persuasion Mixed Modes of Discourse Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal Selection 2: David Orr, “Verbicide” Selection 3: Jonathon Franzen, “Sifting the Ashes” Practice Essay: Bill Buford “Among the Thugs” On the Web In the Video Store Chapter 3 Reading Between the Lines: Making Accurate Inferences Facts and Inferences Definition of Inferences Problems with Inferences Using Evidence to Make Inferences Making Open-Ended Inferences Making Inferences in Textbook Material Making Inferences in Literature Making Inference with Visual Material Cartoons Graphs and Charts Chapter Exercises Selection 1: “Good Idea” Utne Selection 2: Jan Yoors, The Gypsies Selection 3: Diane Ackerman, The Natural History of the Senses Practice Essay: Henry Petroski, “Design Rising” Practice Short Story: Edward P. Jones, “The First Day” Part 2 Discovering Meaning: The Importance of Form Chapter 4 Methods of Paragraph Development Modes of Discourse and Methods of Development Compared Methods of Paragraph DevelopmentThe First Group Facts and Statistics Examples and Illustration Illustration in Textbooks Process Comparison and Contrast Contrast in Textbooks Methods of Paragraph DevelopmentThe Second Group Cause and Effect Cause and Effect Relationships in Visual Material Analysis and Classification Analysis in Textbooks Definition Definition in Textbooks Analogy Combination of Methods Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Sam Harris, The End of Faith Selection 2: Daniel Duane, Caught Inside: A Surfers year on the California Coast Selection 3: James E. Rosenbaum, “Its Time to Tell the Kids: If Youd Dont Do Well in High School, You Wont Do Well in College (or on the Job)” Practice Essay: Richard Selzer, “The Pen and the Scalpel” In the Library Chapter 5 Patterns of Paragraph Organization Patterns of Organization Defined Chronological Order Spatial Order Deductive Order Inductive Order Coherence in Paragraphs Achieving Coherence: Transitions Achieving Coherence: repetition of Key Words and Phrases Achieving Coherence: Pronouns Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Greg Critser, Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World Selection 2: Sandra Mackey, The Saudis: Inside the Desert Kingdom Selection 3: Edward O. Wilson, “The Power of Story” Practice Essay: Conrad Phillip Kottak, “Potlatching” On the Web Part 3 Discovering Meaning: The Importance of Language Chapter 6 Language and Its Effects on the Reader Denotation and Connotation Connotation and Synonyms Connotative Restrictions and the Importance of Context Connotation and Levels of Language Connotation in Reading How Denotation and Connotation Work Together Connotation in Fiction Figurative Language Metaphors and Similes Figurative Language and the Imagination Figurative Language and Inferences Uses of Metaphors and Similes Personification Connotation and Our Perception of the Issues How Word Choice Influences Our PerceptionsThe Media Language Misused and Abused Clichés Code Words Jargon Euphemisms Politically-Correct Language Sneer Words Doublespeak Obfuscating Language Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Nick Paumgarten, “Dangerous Game” Selection 2: H.G. Bissinger, “Sisters” Friday Night Lights Selection 3: Margaret Atwood, “The View from the Backyard” Practice Essay: Brian Doyle, “Joyas Voladoras” On the Web Practice Short Story: Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” Chapter 7 Tone, Point of View, and Allusions Point of View An Overview of Tone Common Varieties of Tone Tone in Textbooks Tone in Nonfiction Prose A Special Case: Sentimentality Tone and Mood in Fiction Tone Continue: More Difficult Varieties Wit Irony Sarcasm Cynicism Satire Allusion Special Stylistic Effects Understatement Hyperbole Alliteration Repetition for Effect Chapter Exercises Selection 1: Sissela Bok, Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation Selection 2: Gerald Durrell, “The Life and Death of Cholmondeley” Selection 3: Peter Coyote, “Celebrity Nation” Practice Essay: Kurt Wiesenfeld, “Making the Grade” Part 4 Reading Critically Chapter 8 Elements of Critical Reading- Analyzing Arguments A Definition of Critical Reading The Readers Responsibilities Developing a Worldview Two World MapsTwo Worldviews Analyzing 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 Evaluating Evidence The Refutation Analyzing Visual Images Charts and Graphs Photographs Chapter Exercises: Evaluating Editorials Selection 1: Arthur Levine, “CollegeMore Than Serving Time” Selection 2: Jeff Jacoby, “Fishing for Sport is Cruel, Inhumane” Selection 3: Silvio Laccetti, “Colleges Cranking out Illiterate Masses” Chapter 9 Problems in Critical ReadingEvaluating Arguments Inductive and Deductive Reasoning Inductive Reasoning Deductive Reasoning The Toulmin Method Analyzing an Op-Ed Piece with the Toulmin Method Problems with Arguments Hasty or Unqualified Generalizations and Stereotyping Incorrect Sampling Appeals in Arguments Emotional Appeals Appeal to Authority Appeal to Fear Appeal to Patriotism Appeal to Pity or Sympathy Appeal to Prejudice Appeal to Tradition Other Manipulative Appeals Bandwagon Appeal Flattery Just Plain Folks Name Calling Ridicule Testimonial Transfer Legitimate Appeals in Arguments Logical Fallacies: Part I Ad Hominem Argument Begging the Question Cause-Effect Fallacies Either Or Fallacy Evasion Logical Fallacies: Part 2 False Analogy Non Sequitur Oversimplification Rationalization Red Herring Slippery Slope Two Wrongs Make a Right Summary of Emotional Appeals and Logical Fallacies Detecting Bias Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Bias An Example of Liberal Bias An Example of Conservative Bias Political Blogs: A Special Case Chapter ExercisesEvaluating Editorials