GGR107H1 Chap.4 Critical Reading of Claims and Evidence
Critical Reading of Claims and Evidence
A skill that is also exam content
The first section of the final examination asks you to read and evaluate a short article you have never seen, like Part Two of the Worldview Reflection.
The course builds the routine from Knott's guide in Week 4 and the Week 5 tutorial exercise.
Five steps and five kinds of reasoning
Identify the central claims, place the text in context, name the kinds of reasoning, examine the evidence, then evaluate the argument and reach a verdict.
The reasoning step distinguishes empirical, logical, conceptual, ethical and aesthetic reasoning.
Where the routine is assessed
Part Two of the Worldview Reflection, about 700 words, asks you to identify the central claims and context of a short opinion article, discuss its reasoning, examine its evidence and evaluate its argument, ending with an overall statement on its credibility.
The exam's first section repeats the task under time pressure with an unseen article.
The rubric's analysis criterion rewards accurate summary, prioritising what matters, a real evaluation and a verdict that follows from the summary.
Common weaknesses
Listing every claim instead of the central ones; judging an opinion piece by the standard of a journal article; naming kinds of reasoning without an example of each; and a verdict that is all praise or all fault.
Each is avoidable if you follow the five steps in order and keep notes short.
What this chapter covers
- 01
An argument as claim plus evidence
- 02
Context: author, audience, affiliation, type of writing
- 03
Five kinds of reasoning
- 04
Primary and secondary evidence
- 05
Evaluating errors, gaps and assumptions
- 06
SQ3R and A+IQ reading strategies
Worked example · free
Name the reasoning in three sentences
- 1Sentence 1 reports a measurement of the material world: empirical.
- 1Sentence 2 rests on a moral principle: ethical.
- 1Sentence 3 draws a conclusion from premises: logical, and its middle premise needs testing.
Key terms
- Argument
- A claim plus the evidence offered for it.
- Primary Evidence
- Data that the authors collected themselves, as opposed to secondary data collected by others.
- Aesthetic Reasoning
- Reasoning based on a sense of and appreciation of beauty.
- A+IQ Method
- A reading strategy of activating prior knowledge, identifying a problem and response, and questioning the text.
- Unwarranted Assumption
- A premise an author relies on without support, which a critical reader names when evaluating the argument.
Critical Reading of Claims and Evidence FAQ
Does critical reading mean finding fault with an article?
No. The Week 5 exercise says critical reading does not require disagreeing with everything. It asks for a well-thought-out summation of the text's strengths and weaknesses, made with awareness of how your own worldview shapes your response to particular perspectives and kinds of evidence.
Why does the type of writing matter when judging evidence?
Different texts are written for different audiences and purposes. An opinion piece and a journal article carry different expectations about evidence, so you judge each against the standard of its type before deciding whether its evidence is enough for its claims.
Which reading strategy suits this course?
The tip sheet recommends SQ3R for textbook-heavy courses and A+IQ for courses built on articles, op-eds and argumentative essays. The Week 3 reading page recommends the A+IQ approach for this course, adding to it for the first assignment.
What is the difference between primary and secondary evidence?
Primary evidence is data the authors collected themselves, for example through their own surveys or field work. Secondary evidence is data gathered by someone else and used by the author. Neither is automatically better, but you should say which kind an article relies on and whether its source is reputable.
How do I find the central claim quickly in an unseen article?
Read the title, the opening paragraph and the conclusion first, then ask what the author most wants you to accept. The tip sheet's advice to work backwards from the conclusion helps, and the Week 5 exercise warns against listing every minor claim instead of the few that carry the argument.
Exam move
Take any short opinion piece, set a timer, and write five lines, one per step, ending with a verdict that names one strength and one weakness; repeat weekly with a different type of writing. Once a week, swap articles with a classmate and compare verdicts; where you disagree, check whether the difference comes from the evidence or from your worldviews.
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