4.11 A self-assessment 195
This final chapter in the unit brings together a
range of the critical skills you have been
using. It consists of an activity in three parts,
and is based on a standard exam question
type. There is one difference: the passage to
which the questions relate is from an
authentic published source. For that reason
the activity is not only good examination
practice; it is also a sample of how to read
critically and perceptively in a real-life
situation.
Most of the time, when you encounter a
news story or magazine article, you respond to
it with casual interest, but little more than
that. That’s fine, if you are reading for
entertainment or just gathering information.
But there are other times when you need to
engage with a text more actively, on a deeper
level. This applies if the text is on a subject you
are studying at school or college; or if you have
to respond to it in a discussion or debate; or if
it relates to your work. There are other
occasions, too, when there is no particular
external reason for you to engage with it
critically, but the article just ‘grabs’ you, and
you want more from it than you would get
from skimming through it once.
The document you will be working on
(page 196) was published in an edition of
Whale and Dolphin, the magazine of Whale and
Dolphin Conservation (WDC). It has some
interesting connections with the material you
worked on in Chapter 4.6, but it makes a very
different point. The natural features of
authentic texts make the task of critical
assessment more interesting, and more realistic,
but at the same time more challenging. As with
any text, you should read or scan the passage
4.11 A self-assessment
once to get the gist of it. Note the kind of text it
is – its genre – and its source. These factors may
influence how you interpret and evaluate it
later. If it is an argument, note its conclusion
and the kind of reasons or premises that are
offered. Then answer the following questions,
rereading the text as necessary. (Although these
are examination-style questions, which would
normally have a time limit, there is no time
restriction here. Think about the text and
questions in depth, and apply all of the
concepts and critical methods you have been
studying in Units 2 and 4.)a Show that you understand the structure of
the argument. You should identify the main
conclusion and the reasoning given to
support it.
b Critically evaluate the argument. You
should identify any assumptions, flaws and
weaknesses and assess their effect on the
strength of the reasoning.
c ‘Animals that show high levels of
intelligence deserve to be treated like
humans.’Write your own argument to support or
challenge this claim.Activity
Commentary
The purpose of this commentary is to guide
you in assessing your own responses to the
questions: not just what you wrote, but how
you went about it. Remember that even before
you were given the three questions, you were
asked to read the passage once through to get