Critical Reading & Intellectual Work
This term refers to actively thinking about a text instead of passively absorbing it.
What is critical reading?
This sentence states the central claim or argument of an essay.
What is a thesis statement?
This appeal persuades through facts, statistics, and logical reasoning.
What is logos?
An essay that describes a personal experience, often using storytelling elements.
What is a narrative essay / personal narrative?
This type of feedback focuses on improving clarity, organization, and ideas—not just grammar.
What is revision?
This process involves marking the text with notes, questions, and observations.
What is annotating?
This stage of the writing process involves generating ideas before drafting.
What is brainstorming?
This appeal establishes credibility and trustworthiness.
What is ethos?
This essay type explains a topic or idea using facts and analysis.
What is an expository essay?
This part of an essay grabs the reader’s attention and introduces the topic.
What is the hook / introduction?
This part of critical reading identifies what the text is mostly about in one clear sentence.
What is the main idea?
These three major parts form the basic structure of most essays.
What are the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion?
This appeal influences by triggering emotions or values.
What is pathos?
This type of argument seeks to change attitudes or inspire action.
What is a persuasive argument?
This step in critical reading requires a reader to judge not only what a text says but how well it says it, evaluating its reasoning, evidence, assumptions, and effectiveness.
What is evaluating the argument?
This framework organizes thinking skills from remembering to creating.
What is Bloom's Taxonomy?
This term refers to writing that focuses on the reader’s expectations, needs, and understanding.
What is audience awareness?
This process examines how an author uses rhetorical strategies to persuade an audience.
What is rhetorical analysis?
This type of argument asks the writer to make a judgment based on criteria—such as “good,” “effective,” or “successful”—rather than simply persuading the reader.
What is evaluative argument?
This rhetorical mode persuades using reasons, claims, and evidence.
What is argumentation?
In college writing, this term refers to the process of engaging deeply with ideas, questioning assumptions, and contributing original thinking rather than simply summarizing.
What is intellectual work / critical thinking?
This paragraph element connects ideas smoothly so the reader can follow the writer’s logic without confusion.
What are transitions?
These are the three key components analyzed in rhetorical analysis: the writer, the audience, and the context.
What is the rhetorical situation?
This essay type makes a claim, supports it with reasons and evidence, and addresses opposing viewpoints.
What is academic argument / argumentative essay?
This type of argument uses evidence, logic, and credible sources to make a scholarly claim.
What is evaluative argument?