Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Regional Office IX, Zamboanga Peninsula

11 Zest for Progress

Z Peal of artnership

Reading and Writing

Quarter 3 – Module 7:
CRITICAL READING AS REASONING

Name of Learner: ___________________________

Grade & Section: ___________________________
Name of School: ___________________________
Reading and Writing - Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 7: Critical Reading as Reasoning

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Writer/s: Alhaida H. Sarahan, LPT

Frediboy R. Sotto, LPT

Editor: John Philip M. Eijansantos, LPT

Reviewer: Florenda H. Quinte, Ph.D.

Valeria Fides G. Corteza, Ph.D.
EPS- English

Illustrator: John Philip M. Eijansantos, LPT

Management Team:
Roy C. Tuballa, EMD.JD.CESO VI
Jay S. Montealto, CESO VI
Norma T. Francisco, DM
Mildred D. Dayao, Ed.D.
Valeria Fides G. Corteza, Ph.D.
Aida Coyme, Ed. D.

Printed
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Philippinesby ________________________
Department
Department of Education – Region
EducationRegion IX –IXZamboanga Peninsula
Office Address: ____________________________________________
Office Address: Pres. Corazon C. Aquino Regional Government
____________________________________________
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Sur Province 7016
E-mail Address:
Telefax: ____________________________________________
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E-mail Address: [email protected]
 What I Need to Know

Imagine that you are reading a magazine and you see the following statements:

Girls most likely do well in academics during high school years but boys get ahead of them in
college. Female teenagers are more concerned with their physical appearance than male
teenagers.

Do you believe and agree with the statements after reading them? Would you question
their veracity? How would you react after reading the statements? If you question the validity
of the statements by asking the person to give the basis for his/her assertions, then you are one
step closer to becoming a critical reader. On this topic, you are going to learn about critical
reading and its importance.

In this module, you will get to explain critical reading as reasoning. Specifically, it is
expected of you to identify situations that promote critical thinking; explain the importance of
critical reading in your personal and academic life; apply basic principles of critical thinking
in various situations; and identify the types of fallacy.

What I Know
To start, let’s activate your prior knowledge on this topic.

Directions: Let’s test your critical reading skills. Answer the question posted after each
situation. Write also your reason to your answer. (Please don’t search Google. Answer
honestly.)

1. A man is wearing black – black shoes, socks, pants, coat, gloves, and face mask. He is
walking down a backstreet with all the street lamps off. A black car is coming towards
him with its lights off but somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver see the
man?

2. There is a man who lives on the top floor of a very tall building. Every day he gets the
elevator down to the ground floor to leave the building to go to work. Upon returning
from work though, he can only travel halfway up in the elevator and has to walk the
rest of the way unless it’s raining! Why?

3. A man and his son are in a car accident. The father dies on the scene, but the child is
rushed to the hospital. When he arrives, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate on this boy,
he is my son!” How can this be?

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 4. A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose among three rooms. The first is
full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns and the third is full
of lions that haven’t eaten in three years. Which room is safest for him?

A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over five
minutes. But five minutes later, they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner
together. How can this be?

Lesson
CRITICAL READING AS REASONING
1

What’s In
What is Critical Reading?

Critical reading involves scrutinizing any information that you read or hear.
Critical reading means not easily believing information offered to you by a text.
“Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find
talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider” as Francis Bacon stated in The
Essays.
Critical reading is an active process of discovery because when you read
critically, you are not just receiving information but also making an interaction with
the writer. The interaction happens when you question the writer’s claims and
assertions and/or when you comment on the writer’s ideas.
A critical thinker possesses the following characteristics. (Adapted from
skillsyouneed.com)

1. Understands the relation of one idea to another

2. Determines the importance and relevance of ideas and arguments
3. Recognizes, builds and appraises arguments
4. Identifies inconsistencies and errors in reasoning
5. Approaches problems in a consistent and systematic way
6. Reflects on the justification of his own assumptions, beliefs and values

What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking on the other hand, is the ability to think clearly and rationally,
and the ability to understand the relation of ideas presented. Similar to a critical

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reader, you as a critical thinker should be able to question ideas and assumptions
and should not just accept them without analyzing if there is truth to them or not.

What are Logical Fallacies?

When we read something, we do not just accept everything as it is. We need

to read critically, ask questions to verify if the statement is true. In this lesson, you
are going to learn some of the common logical fallacies. These are just some and
there are still more to these. So what are logical fallacies?

Logical Fallacies are errors in reasoning that invalidate an argument. As a

critical reader, you have to identify and examine fallacies and manipulative
language found in the text. It is therefore important that you know some of the
common fallacies which are found in the table below.

Fallacy Description Example

Despite the presence of multiple Either I continue always
False Dilemma/
possibilities an arguer presents his/her buying in online shopping or
False Dichotomy
argument as one of only two options I’ll stop working.
Just because it is not proven to be false, Since you do not have a
Appeal to Ignorance and vice versa, something is instantly tattoo, you must not be a
concluded to be true criminal.
If I did not teach you the
When a series of increasingly superficial logical fallacies then you will
Slippery Slope
and unacceptable consequence is drawn never know that these
fallacies exist.
The reader is expected to either accept or
Have you stopped begging for
Complex Question reject both two or more points that are
money?
rolled into one at the same time
Lend me P5000 or else I’ll
Instead of reasoning, a threat is used to
Appeal to Force tell all your secrets to your
argue
mother.
Please don’t arrest me. I have
Appeal to Pity Pity is used instead of logical reasoning 10 children to feed and my
parents are old and very sick.
I don’t believe that my
To show that the belief is false, there is an boyfriend is seeing other girl
Appeal to
unpleasant consequence of believing because if he did we would
Consequences
something are pointed out break up and I am not ready
for it.
In a survey conducted, 9 out
Just because it is what the majority thinks, of 10 say that upon using this
Bandwagon
an argument is considered to be valid Korean glass skin set their
face become radiant.
I cannot accept your idea
Instead of attacking the ideas of the because, unlike me, you did
Attacking the Person argument, you attack the character of the not have your doctorate
person degree in Oxford University.

3
 Occurs when a person is not actually a The facts in my article are
legitimate expert on the subject matter; correct because I have been a
Appeal to Authority
occurs also when you assert your own journalist for three decades
expertise already.
Anonymous The authority in the statement is not Athletes say that exercising
Authority mentioned or name can make you live longer.
Lee Da Hee, the foreigner
Hasty The sample is not significant or enough to from South Korea, is very
Generalization support a generalization about a population impolite. Koreans are mean
and rude.
When a writer assumes that two concepts
Love is like coffee. Bitter yet
False Analogy that are similar in some ways are also
sweet.
similar in other ways
You should not talk back to
Even if a general rule should be an your kuya no matter what; he
Accident
exception, it is still applied to a situationis always right because he is
older than you.
Shine said that whenever I
A is the cause of B since event A happened sing it rains. Since I’m
Post Hoc
before event B singing now then it will rain
after a while.
There is reverse in direction between cause Lung cancer leads to cigarette
Wrong Direction
and effect smoking.
We were not able to create an
Even when there are other factors which advertisement for our class
Complex Cause also contributed to the event, the because we were only given
explanation is reduced to one thing three days to do it. The time
was too short for us.
The number of positive cases
The argument which is supposed to prove
Irrelevant in our city is rising even if we
something concludes something else
Conclusion are in ECQ. Therefore, we
instead
must lift ECQ.
You said that horoscope is not
The position of the opposition is twisted so
Straw Man scientific, so why should we
that it is easier to refute
believe in it?
If you are in a dating app that
If argument A is true then argument B is means you are looking for a
Affirming the true; or partner who is a foreigner.
Consequent If argument B is true, therefore argument A Therefore, if you marry a
is true foreigner that means you met
him/her on a dating app.
If you did not finish college
If argument A is true then argument B is then you will not have a
Denying the true; or successful future. If your
Antecedent if argument A is not true then argument B future is not successful
is not true therefore you did not finish
college.
Anna is taller than Ely. Ely is
Inconsistency The arguments contradict one another taller than Elsa. Elsa is taller
than Anna.

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 What’s New
Activity 1: The Texas Chain Letter Massacre
Directions: Take a look at the picture on the right side and answer the questions
that follow.

1. What does the picture mean?

2. Have you ever encountered such message? Or did you ever receive such message?
3. What did you do? Did you send it to others? Why?

The picture is The Texas Chain Letter

Massacre cartoon that suggests that if you
don’t forward the message on the computer
to ten friends something tragic will happen
to you in 24 hours.

The man here is being forced to forward

this message because he doesn’t want
anything tragic to happen to him in the next
day.

Nothing ever really happens; however, the

cartoon is successful at showing how force
has an effect on you. This is where critical
reading comes in. If you had scrutinized
this kind of message mostly you wouldn’t believe and just disregard it.

What is it?

Critical reading is engaging yourself in a text or any material that you are
reading. Although the word ‘critical” means to express criticism or disapproval about
something like a book, movie or piece of art, etc., critical reading does not necessarily
mean that you have to be “critical” of something that you read.

Critical reading is more engaging yourself about what the author or writer is
trying to tell you in his or her writing, or being focused on the intention or the argument
being presented in the material.

5
 It is exercising your judgement about the material being read, and not just
accepting or being satisfied with everything that is presented by the author without
analyzing the points, especially the author’s opinions whether true, valid or acceptable.

The critical reading strategies are:

1. Annotating. It is the first strategy that you can use as a critical reader. It is underlining
or highlighting the important ideas or points in a text like thesis statement, topic
sentence, supporting details, body of the material and the conclusion.

2. Contextual Reading. In contextual reading, a reader studies the author of the text,
the time or period when the author wrote it and the important events that occurred
during the time the text was written.

3. Outlining. It’s an overview of a document in which information and ideas are

arranged according to hierarchy-the main idea being at the top followed by the rest
of the supporting ideas or subtopics.

4. Summarizing. It’s the condensing or writing of a material in the reader’s own words.

5. Paraphrasing. One way of understanding a text better is to paraphrase it.

Paraphrasing is putting or writing a text in your own words but maintaining the
original information as given by the author.

6. Comparing and Contrasting. It’s naming the similarities of two or more ideas or
information.

7. Evaluating an Argument. A critical reader must not accept anything on face value;
instead, he or she must evaluate whether the claim or the argument that the author
is presenting is true and can be supported by evidence.

8. Reflecting on Challenges to your Beliefs and Values. There are reading materials
that will affect your emotions.

9. Looking for Patterns of Opposition. This strategy should not be confused with
number 8 strategy.

10. Judging the Writer’s Credibility. You ask questions to check if the writer of the text
is credible enough to get your approval of what s/he has written.

11. Exploring the Figurative Language. This refers to the language that uses words or
expressions with a meaning different from the literal interpretation.
12. Recognizing Emotional manipulation. Some writers become emotionally
manipulative if they want their readers to agree with themor to believewhat they are
saying and resort to false and exaggerated statements or appeals.

A critical reader and a critical thinker therefore, must not depend on the use
of their instinct or intuition when reading. Both must know how to observe, identify,
analyze, interpret, infer, evaluate, explain, solve problems and make decisions. These

6
are the necessary skills a “thinking” reader should possess. Critical thinking and critical
reading therefore, go hand in hand in helping you develop into a more active learner
rather than being passive to the information.

What’s More
Activity 2:
A. Critical –Passive
Direction: Write C if the activity in each item influences you to think critically and P
if passively.

__1. reading print advertisements

__2. watching investigative reports
__3. listening to music
__4. talking to friends about their school concerns
__5. reading comics
__6. playing online games
__7. watching comedy films
__8. planning research
__9. listening to politicians
__10. painting

B. Direction: Explain the importance of critical thinking in your personal and academic life.

Personal
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.

Academic
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________.

Activity 3:
Directions: Read the statement carefully and choose the letter that is being defined.

1. A logical fallacy that shows that the belief is false with the use of unpleasant
consequences of
believing something are pointed out.
a. Appeal to Consequences c. Appeal to Force
b. Appeal to Authority d. Appeal to Pity
2. A logical fallacy where the authority is not mentioned or named.
a. Appeal to Authority c. Attacking the Person
b. Anonymous Authority d. Hasty Generalization
3. A logical fallacy where the arguments contradict one another.
a. Accident b. Post Hoc c. Inconsistency d. Straw Man

7
4. A logical fallacy where the argument is considered valid because it is what the
majority thinks.
a. Post Hoc b. Hasty Generalization c. Straw Man d.
Bandwagon
5. A logical fallacy where it is still applied to a situation even if it should be an
exception.
a. Accident b. Post Hoc c. Inconsistency d. Straw
Man
6. A logical fallacy where a threat is used to argue instead of reasoning
a. Appeal to Consequences c. Appeal to Authority
b. Appeal to Force d. Appeal to Pity
7. A logical fallacy where the sample is not significant or enough to support a
generalization about a population.
a. Appeal to Authority c. Attacking the Person
b. Hasty Generalization d. Anonymous Authority
8. A logical fallacy where the writer assumes that two concepts that are similar in some
ways are also similar in other ways.
a. Post Hoc b. Bandwagon c. Straw Man d. False
Analogy
9. A logical fallacy where the position of the opposition is twisted so that it is easier to
refute.
a. Straw Man b. Hasty Generalization c. Post Hoc d.
Bandwagon
10. Just because it is not proven to be false, and vice versa, something is instantly
concluded to be true.
a. Appeal to Ignorance c. Attacking the Person
b. Anonymous Authority d. Appeal to Authority

What I Have Learned

Here are some key points to sum up our lesson:

➢ critical thinkers examine, evaluate and weigh information and arguments which
make them more knowledgeable.
➢ one must be careful in interpreting what critical thinking is. It is neither being
cynical nor being faultfinder. It is not pretending to know more than what you
actually know. Uncritical people are usually impatient, easily annoyed by
problems, and judge based on first impressions alone. They usually focus more on
their own opinion and are guided by emotions rather than logic.
➢ A critical thinker possesses the following characteristics. (Adapted from
skillsyouneed.com)
1. Understands the relation of one idea to another
2. Determines the importance and relevance of ideas and arguments
3. Recognizes, builds and appraises arguments

8
 4. Identifies inconsistencies and errors in reasoning
5. Approaches problems in a consistent and systematic way
6. Reflects on the justification of his own assumptions, beliefs and values

➢ The critical reading strategies are:

1. Annotating
2. Contextual Reading
3. Outlining
4. Summarizing
5. Paraphrasing
6. Comparing and Contrasting
7. Evaluating an Argument
8. Reflecting on Challenges to your Beliefs and Values
9. Looking for Patterns of Opposition
10. Judging the Writer’s Credibility
11. Exploring the Figurative Language
12. Recognizing Emotional manipulation

➢ The SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite & Review) Method is also a
commonly used critical reading strategy.

➢ As a critical reader, you should be able to use textual evidence when you are asked
by your teacher to support your analysis of what the writer has explicitly or
implicitly stated in the text you are required to read.

➢ You should be able to determine whether the ideas are explicit or implicit so that
you can make your inference about the text you read.

What I Can Do
Direction. Identify the critical reading strategy being used in each of the following.
Choose the letter of the correct answer.
a.Recognizing Emotional Manipulation.
b. Reflecting on Challenges to your Beliefs and Values.
c. Contextual Reading
d. Judging the Writer’s Credibility
e. Looking for Patterns of Opposition
1. As a reader, you have to be suspicious and be cautious when the writer uses
emotionally loaded words, writes very harsh and abusive things about or against
someone or something or maligns or insults another.
2. Some writers present opposing issues or hints and these are what a critical reader
or thinker may use in his or her analysis of the text.
3. The critical reader is able to get clues which will help him interpret the work, and
understand the how’s and why’s that made the author write the text.
4. The critical thinker checks if the writer is building a common ground with the
readers, or if s/he is basing his or her reasoning on shared beliefs.

9
 5. This entails the reactions or emotions that you are made to feel by the author when
you read his or her work is a good example of an occasion where you can be able
to use this strategy.

Assessment

Directions: Identify the type of logical fallacy present in the text. Write the letter of
the correct answer.

1. If we let students have phones in the classroom, they will never pay attention to the
teacher, and won’t learn anything at school.
a. Bandwagon b. Post Hoc c. Hasty Generalization d. Slippery Slope
2. We can either go to a park or waste our day off. You don’t want to waste a day off, do
you?
a. Straw Man b. Post Hoc c. False Dilemma d. Slippery Slope
3. I have met two students from that class and they said that the teacher is really inefficient.
a. Accident b. Hasty Generalization c. Post Hoc d. Inconsistency
4. Mina saw a black cat when they went home. Along the way, they crashed into a tree.
The black cat must be the reason why they met an accident.
a. Post Hoc b. Straw Man c. Hasty Generalization d. Wrong Direction
5. Please do not fail me with your subject. I am taking care of my sick father and I am
busy with my part-time job so that we will have food to eat.
a. Appeal to Authority c. Appeal to Force
b. False Analogy d. Appeal to Pity
6. If you are cheating on me, you are partying. Therefore, if you are partying, you are
cheating on me.
a. Affirming the Consequent c. Denying the Antecedent
b. Irrelevant Conclusion d. Complex Cause
7. Give me P10 000 or else I’ll tell all your secrets to your family.
a. Appeal to Pity c. Consequences
b. Appeal to Force d. Bandwagon
8. “We now have spent five dates together. We have gotten along splendidly. It is clear that
we are well-matched.”
a. Attacking the Person c. Hasty Generalization
b. Accident d. False Analogy
9. Either you clean your room or you leave this house.
a. Attacking the Person c. Appeal to Ignorance
b. Slippery Slope d. False Dilemma
10. Businessmen are rich people; so you must be very rich.
a. Accident c. False analogy
b. Hasty Generalization d. Consequences

10
 Additional Activities

Directions: The following is a paragraph taken from “Letter to His Father” by Franz Kafra.
After analyzing the letter, identify the explicit and implicit points and the inference based on
the explicit and implicit information taken.

Dear Father:
You asked me recently why I maintain that I am afraid of you. As usual, I was unable
to think of any to answer your questions, partly for the very reason that I am afraid of you, and
partly because an explanation of the grounds for this fear would mean going into far more
details that I could even approximately keep in mind while talking. And if I now try to give you
an answer in writing, it will still be very incomplete, because even in writing this fear and its
consequences hamper me in relation to you and because 9anyway) the magnitude of the subject
goes far beyond the scope of my memory and power of reasoning.

The explicit information:

1. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
The implicit information:
1. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Inference:
1. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

11
 12
What’s More
Activity 2
A.
1. C 2. C 3. P 4. C 5. P
6. P 7. P 8. C 9. C 10. P
B.
Personal
Accept all possible answers as long as they were able to relate critical reading with their
personal life. (e.g. when they read posts/news on FB, they need to read critically if they
should believe the text or not. Or when they see and read advertisements, they should
question the veracity of it) .
Academic
Accept all possible answers as long as they were able to relate critical reading with their
academic life. (e.g. when I read research articles or journals, I should analyse and/or
evaluate the texts that I am reading if it is true or not.
What I Know
1. The driver saw the man because it was daytime.
2. The man is very short and can only reach halfway up the elevator buttons. However,
if it is raining then he will have his umbrella with him and can press the higher
buttons with it.
3. The surgeon was his mother.
4. The safest door for him is the third room. The lions would have been dead after not
eating for 3 years.
5. The word shoot there doesn’t mean to fire a weapon. She shot her husband (with a
camera). She then placed him (his picture) in water for five minutes (the process
needed to develop a photo). She then hung her husband (his picture) as the final
part of developing a photo
Answer Key
 5. b 4. d 3. c 2. e 1. a

What I Can Do

10. a 9. d 8. c 7. b 6. a
5. d 4. a 3. b 2. c 1. d

Assessment

References
Books
Jessie S. Barot, Academic Reading and Writing for Senior High School Quezon City: C&E Publishing,
Inc., 2016, 88-90.

Grace M. Saqueton and Marikit Tara A. Uychoco. Critical Reading, English for Academic and
Professional Purposes Manila: Rex Bookstore. 2016, 17-19.

Jessie S. Barot, Essentials of Studying, Reading and Writing, Reading to Think, Thinking to Write
Manila:Rex Bookstore, 2012, 27-29.

Marella Therese A. Tiongson and Maxine Rafaella C. Rodriguez. Reading and Writing Skills First Ed.
Manila : Rex Book Store, Inc. , 2016 pp.22-23

Maria Teresa M. Antonio, Maria B. Sarte, Maria Edna R. Inigo and Orlando L. Tangonan. READING
and WRITING SKILLS for Senior High School Students Malabon City: Mutya Publishing house,
Inc., 2017 pp64-67

Image
“Rhetorical Fallacies and Propaganda”, Dalton’s Dynamic Daily Endeavors, last accessed July 3, 2020,
https://sites.google.com/site/daltonsdynamicdailyindeavors/rhetorical-fallacies-propaganda

13
 Development Team

Writer/s: Alhaida H. Sarahan, SHS –II

Frediboy R. Sotto, SHST- II

Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School Stand-Alone Senior High School,
Zamboanga City

Editor/QA: John Philip M. Eijansantos, LTP

Reviewer: Florenda H. Quinte, P.D.

Valeria Fides G. Corteza, Ph. D.
EPS- English

Layout Artist: John Philip M. Eijansantos, LPT

Management Team:
Roy C. Tuballa, EMD.JD.CESO VI
Jay S. Montealto, CESO VI
Norma T. Francisco, DM
Mildred D. Dayao, Ed.D.
Valeria Fides G. Corteza, Ph. D.
Aida Coyme, Ed. D.

14