1. The Subject
"What are they talking about" -- Determine the subject of the text. This differs from the thesis, as the thesis is a point to be proven. The subject is a broader, more general item of information. For example, "cats should be made to walk only on leashes when outdoors" is a thesis statement, but its subject is "cats".
2. The Purpose
"Why are they talking about it?" -- Purposes for writing can include: persuading, providing information, refuting a previous argument, or entertaining. Ask yourself why the author finds his or her text important to write, and you will find the purpose.
3. The Thesis
"What's the big idea?" -- We've discussed thesis statements in class, so you should be able to identify the writer's thesis, or main idea. But keep in mind that not all writing has an explicit, or clearly stated, thesis; some texts have implicit, or implied, theses, which means that you may have to pay close attention to find the thesis.
4. Main Supporting Points
"How do you figure?" -- This may seem, at first glance, to be the same as question #6, but supporting points are basically the topic sentences (or "main ideas") of the paragraphs that provide support for an argument.
5. Underlying Assumptions
"What's behind all this?" -- This is an important question, since one's assumptions are almost always implied rather than explicitly stated. An assumption is anything taken for granted, and you may find that a writer takes something for granted that isn't true -- or isn't necessarily true. If you think that a writer needs to prove that his or her underlying assumptions are true (but he or she doesn't), this is a flaw in the writer's argument.
6. Evidence
"How strong is support?" -- This looks almost like a repetition of question #4, but this is a bit different. This question will lead you to question the ways in which the writer provides evidence to back up his or her supporting points. Subsequent questions to ask about evidence include: Is the evidence relevant? Is the evidence accurate? Is the evidence specific and detailed? Is there enough evidence to support the argument every step of the way?
7. The Conclusion
"So what?" -- Compare the thesis with the conclusion: does the writer "end up" with the same point as he or she began with? The conclusion shouldn't merely be an ending, it should be an ending to the writer's chosen argument. Also ask yourself if the writer provides the importance of the argument in his or her conclusion. If you ask "so what?" of the conclusion, and the writer hasn't provided an answer to that question, that's a flawed conclusion.
8. The Whole Work
"Was it all worth it?" -- This is a fair question, and it's even a good question to ask. Did you enjoy the text, or did you learn something from it? If not, why not?
This information taken from Nancy Huddleston Pack and John Timpane's book Writing Worth Reading: The Critical Process. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1997. 42-52.
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