Reymar Castillo

Professor Matthew Moberly

Due Date: 02/08/15
Reading Response (Chapter 2)
Part 1:
In their novel, From Critical Thinking to Argument, authors Sylvan Barnet and Hugo
Bedau clarify that critical reading takes much more effort than one perceives in order to
gain a complete comprehension of the material being presented. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo
Bedau develop/support this explanation by providing examples of proper/improper ways
of critical reading and suggesting useful tools that aid in ones understanding of whatever
he/she is reading. Sylvan Barnets and Hugo Bedaus purpose is to encourage readers to
make an effort to read critically by using tools such as annotation and summarization in
order to better understand the material as well as improve as an active reader. Sylvan
Barnet and Hugo Bedau use a suggestive tone with their audience of readers and possibly
authors in an effort to develop ones self as an active reader and/or a writer.
Part 2:
1. But even a book (or an essay) that you will chew and digest is one that you first
may want to taste (39).
I found this quote interesting because I, honestly, have never thought about previewing
something Im about to read before actually reading it carefully. By skimming through
the text, I feel like Im judging a book by its cover because I am ignoring the small
details that may be vital to my interest in that novel. Personally, I prefer to have zero
knowledge about something Im about to read so as to avoid personal bias. However, I
agree that familiarizing myself with the author would be a good start in getting to know
their style and main focuses.
2. Dont confuse a summary with a paraphrase (45).
I never really understood the difference these to words until reading this chapter in the
book. I honestly thought that these two words meant the same thing. After reading this
section in the book, I now understand the difference between the two. I also did not know
that there was typically a difference in length in accordance to these two terms.
3. Summarizing each paragraph or each group of closely related paragraphs will
help you to follow the thread of the discourse and, when you are finished, will
provide you with a useful map of the essay (52).
As soon as I finished reading this section in the chapter, I immediately realized how
handy this would have been if I used it during the first semester of my college career! I
now understand how summarizing an entire reading into segments can ultimately become

a useful tool for when I need to go back and find a piece of information rather than
rereading the entire work as a whole. Simple techniques such as summarizing can make a
readers job that much more convenient!
Part 3:
In chapter two, the authors separate the reading into different topics that all relate to the
main theme of critical reading. In the beginning, the authors present the strategy of
previewing and skimming to save readers the trouble of reading something that they pay
no interest in. Second, the authors provide advice when it comes to reading with a careful
eye such as underlining, highlighting, and annotating. All of which are used to become an
active reader by interacting with the text. Third, the authors devoted an entire section to
the processes of summarizing and paraphrasing. Both of which are not to be confused
with one another. However, both are useful in understanding something that may be
confusing. Lastly, the authors present another section entitled to patchwriting and
plagiarism. Both of which must be avoided at all costs because they display work that is
not ones own. These mistakes can be prevented through the use of appropriate citations.
The authors organization of this chapter was especially effective in that it provided
almost a step-by-step process in order to better ourselves as active readers as well as
writers!
Part 4:
Medium: Novel (chapter); the authors, through the text, use several examples in addition
to suggestions to communicate with their audience.
Audience: Readers (to become active readers by engaging with the text through the use
various techniques such as summarization and annotation) and possibly even writers (to
better ourselves as writers by avoiding plagiarism and patchwriting through proper
citation).
Purpose: The main purpose of this chapter is to identify what qualities represent active
readers and how we can be characteristic of these potentials. By presenting several
techniques, readers, as well as writers, can improve their reading/writing strategies in
order to gain a better understanding of various readings.
Part 5:
I can relate to this chapter because I, for one, am always seeking useful strategies to help
me engage and better understand the text. This chapter provided various techniques in
developing myself as an active reader. In doing so, I can gain a clearer understanding of
the text. To a certain extent, I agreed with everything the authors stated in chapter two,
however, there were some details that I questioned. Although I may have had a few
disagreements, the authors were able to persuade me otherwise with sufficient reasoning.
Overall, the reading was very useful and informative. I really enjoyed reading about how
I can better myself as a reader as well as a writer; by developing as a reader, I can apply
this knowledge in future writing endeavors because I would know what readers expect

out of writers. I will definitely utilize these tools to help me in future assignments that
require reading and/or writing.