Writing an evaluation of another text is an important skill in critical reading, and it is employed extensively in research writing as well as business, professional, and scientific writing. Locate a scholarly journal article on a poem that you are using for either of your first two papers. Briefly summarize the article, evaluate the material and the author’s presentation, and respond to the article. (One page of concise writing.) First, be able to recognize 3 basic types of statements in your critical reading: (Refer to corresponding pages listed in the index of the current addition of your Handbook)

Assumption—a fundamental belief that shapes the viewpoint in question. (131-32)

Opinion—a statement of interpretation and judgment. (110-11)

Fact—a statement easily verified by recognized authoritative sources. (110-11, 533-34) (See also: Prejudice or bias (p. 110 in Handbook); see Tone on page 109.

(Definition) Evaluation is used to describe when the reader judges the effectiveness and reliability of an author’s text by discussing how the reader agrees or disagrees with the author and why. By using the components of evaluation in writing your own essays, readers will come to trust what you have to say. (Read p. 113 5c.3 in Handbook)

The first step in evaluating a text is to summarize the author’s thesis and main points, then restate the author’s conclusion in your own words. After the summary, complete the following basic tasks when you write your evaluation:

To evaluate an author’s opinion, you must first determine if that opinion relies on one or more assumptions and whether the assumptions are clearly defined and stated or if they are implied indirectly or unstated.