Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Critical reading
Critical reading implies suspending judgement on a text until you
have understood the message being put forward
have evaluated the evidence supporting that message
have evaluated the writer's perspective.
If you read uncritically, you may accept texts and arguments which are flawed, biased and
subjectively written. It is also important to be aware of the writer's background, assumptions and
purposes. All writers have a reason for writing and will emphasise details which support their
reason for writing and ignore details that do not.
The following questions may be usefully asked about any text you are reading: