We have said that reading for critical evaluation involves reading with question in mind. Some questions concern the writer, the subject - matter and you, the reader. Reading for critical evaluation, in addition, involves sifting facts form opinion, and detecting illogical, inconsistent or exaggerated statements.
A writer is not necessarily being dishonest when he mingles facts and opinions. This is the natural result of writing as an individual who has beliefs and values that cannot be separated at all times from the fact he knows and wished to communicate. Nor is the writer dishonest when he introduces inconsistencies and the like. It may be that he is ignorant of some background elements or unaware that such inconsistencies have crept into his writing. It is your task to look out for facts and opinions, illogicalities, inconsistencies and the like, and to evaluate them critically in order to arrive at a clear picture of the topic.
What is fact? The dictionary tells you that a fact is a thing that has actually happened or that is really true. An opinion, on the other hand, is a belief not based on ablosute certainty or positive knowledge but on what seems probable. Experts sometimes give their opinions or judgment on different matters. In the light of these definitions, we may agree that statement appear to be opinions of the writer, though of a type that represents the formal judgment of an expert. Clearly the computer cannot be patient a human characteristics. But to the writer it seems patient, since it is capable of innumerable repetitions.
A writer is not necessarily being dishonest when he mingles facts and opinions. This is the natural result of writing as an individual who has beliefs and values that cannot be separated at all times from the fact he knows and wished to communicate. Nor is the writer dishonest when he introduces inconsistencies and the like. It may be that he is ignorant of some background elements or unaware that such inconsistencies have crept into his writing. It is your task to look out for facts and opinions, illogicalities, inconsistencies and the like, and to evaluate them critically in order to arrive at a clear picture of the topic.
What is fact? The dictionary tells you that a fact is a thing that has actually happened or that is really true. An opinion, on the other hand, is a belief not based on ablosute certainty or positive knowledge but on what seems probable. Experts sometimes give their opinions or judgment on different matters. In the light of these definitions, we may agree that statement appear to be opinions of the writer, though of a type that represents the formal judgment of an expert. Clearly the computer cannot be patient a human characteristics. But to the writer it seems patient, since it is capable of innumerable repetitions.
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