CRITICAL THINKING STRATEGIES

ANALYZING

You analyze in order to find out why something is the way it is. When you analyze something, you take it apart. You study each part and look for connections among the parts. When you analyze, you probably want to know the causes, effects, reasons, purposes, or consequences.

Example:

What was the cause of a particular automobile accident?

To analyze the cause, you might ask these questions:

· Was more than one car involved in the accident?

· Was the road wet?

· What time of day did the accident happen?

· Was the driver alone? Was the driver tired? Was the driver drinking or on medication?

· What was the condition of the car before the accident?

If you ask the right questions and get complete answer, you can make an analysis.

In your college courses, your teachers will expect you to analyze what you read. In order to analyze text (the article, chapter, etc.. that you are reading), here are some questions you might ask yourself:

· What/who is this text about?

· What is the context? What are the circumstances?

· What is the central issue or problem?

· What questions does the writer ask?

· What questions does the writer answer?

· What is the writer's central point(s)?

· So what? What does it all mean?

· How can you connect this text to other texts that you have read?

· What applications can you make to the world around you?

· When you write, your readers need to be able to answer the same question

EVALUATING

To answer questions such as these, you need to evaluate or make a judgement:

· What person in your life has influenced you the most?

· Which of your friends is your best friend?

· What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

· What did you like or dislike about this book?

· What is the most important quality in a mate?

Your evaluation is your opinion. There are no right or wrong answer to such questions. However, your reader expects you to explain your evaluation when you write.

Example:

You judge honesty to be the most important quality in a mate.

Your reasoning might begin like this:

· You need to build a relationship on trust.

· For you to trust your mate, she/he has to be honest.

· You must depend on your mate to tell the truth.

· If your mate us honest, then you can trust her/him.

It is important for you to express your opinions and then to explain them, to support them with reasons.

INTERPRETING

· What does something mean?

· What does it mean to you?

· In your opinion, what does it mean?

· What do you think?

· What is your reaction?

You interpret when you answer these questions: you talk about the meaning or significance of something.

An interpretation comes from inside your head. Two people may have two different interpretations of the same thing (a poem, word, book, movie,e vent, etc.) because they have different experiences in life, different values, and different knowledge.

Interpretations are neither right or wrong. Yet, you need to convince your reader that your interpretation is good by supporting it with facts, reasons, or evidence.

Example:

What does the Vietnam Memorial (in Washington, D.C.) signify?

One interpretation: It signifies the tragedy of war, the waste of human life.

Possible reasons for this interpretation: (1) the 50,000 (+) names of the dead engraved on the memorial show how many Americans died and (2) the open grief expressed by people when they visit the memorial

Your interpretation is important. State what you think and then support it by explaining why.