EAP Critical Reading Strategies 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the best description of an author's 'purpose' in a critical reading framework?
- The genre or format the text belongs to
- The reason the author wrote the text and what they intended to achieve (Correct answer)
- The list of sources the author consulted
- The academic institution that published the work
Correct answer: The reason the author wrote the text and what they intended to achieve
Identifying purpose means asking why the author wrote the text—to inform, persuade, analyze, or entertain—and how that shapes the content.
Question 2: A critical reader encounters the phrase 'studies show.' Without further citation, this phrase should be treated as:
- Strong evidence because multiple studies are implied
- A vague claim requiring verification of which studies and what they actually show (Correct answer)
- Acceptable shorthand for peer-reviewed meta-analyses
- Proof of academic consensus
Correct answer: A vague claim requiring verification of which studies and what they actually show
Unspecified 'studies' cannot be evaluated for quality, sample, or context and should be treated as unsupported until documented.
Question 3: When distinguishing a fact from an opinion in academic text, the clearest indicator of a fact is that it:
- Is stated confidently by the author
- Can be verified through independent, observable evidence (Correct answer)
- Appears in the introduction of the article
- Uses precise vocabulary
Correct answer: Can be verified through independent, observable evidence
Facts are verifiable claims; the test is whether independent evidence can confirm or disconfirm them, not whether they sound confident.
Question 4: Which strategy best helps a reader track how an argument develops across a long academic article?
- Reading only the first sentence of each paragraph
- Creating a brief outline or concept map that records each section's main claim (Correct answer)
- Rereading the abstract after each paragraph
- Skipping sections that contain data
Correct answer: Creating a brief outline or concept map that records each section's main claim
A running outline or concept map externalizes the argument's structure, making it easier to follow logical progression and spot gaps.
Question 5: An author writes: 'No serious scholar believes X.' A critical reader recognizes this as:
- A peer-reviewed consensus statement
- An appeal to authority used to dismiss a position without engaging its evidence (Correct answer)
- A direct quotation from a major research body
- A factual claim verifiable in citation databases
Correct answer: An appeal to authority used to dismiss a position without engaging its evidence
Claiming no 'serious scholar' holds a view dismisses it through social pressure rather than logical refutation.
Question 6: In the PQRST reading method, what does the 'Q' step require the reader to do?
- Quit and restart if comprehension fails
- Quote the most important sentence in each section
- Turn headings and subheadings into questions before reading (Correct answer)
- Quantify the number of main arguments
Correct answer: Turn headings and subheadings into questions before reading
In PQRST (Preview, Question, Read, Summarize, Test), 'Question' means converting headings into questions that guide active reading.
Question 7: A reader finds that an author presents only evidence supporting their thesis and ignores contradicting studies. This is an example of:
- Confirmatory bias in the literature
- Cherry-picking or selective use of evidence (Correct answer)
- A legitimate literature review strategy
- Triangulation of sources
Correct answer: Cherry-picking or selective use of evidence
Cherry-picking selects only supporting evidence while omitting contrary findings, distorting the true state of the research.
EAP Critical Reading Strategies 4
Which of the following is the best description of an author's 'purpose' in a critical reading framework?