The Logic of An Article

1)         The main purpose of this article is             .

(State as accurately as possible the author’s purpose for writing the article.)

2)         The key question that the author is addressing is             .

            (Figure out the key question in the mind of the author when s/he wrote the article.)

3)         The most important information in this article is             .

            (Figure out the facts, experiences, data the author is using to support her/his conclusions.)

4)         The main inferences/conclusions in this article are             .

            (Identify the key conclusions the author comes to and presents in the article.)

5)                  The key concept(s) we need to understand in this article is (are)             .

      By these concepts the author means ___      .

            (Figure out the most important ideas you would have to understand in order to grasp the author’s line of reasoning.)

6)         The main assumption(s) underlying the author’s thinking is (are)             .

            (Figure out what the author is taking for granted [that might be questioned].)

7a)       If we take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are              .

            (What consequences are likely to follow if people take the author’s line of reasoning seriously?)

7b)       If we fail to take this line of reasoning seriously, the implications are             .

            (What consequences are likely to follow if people ignore the author’s reasoning?)

8)         The main point(s) of view presented in this article is (are)             .

            (What is the author looking at, and how is s/he seeing it?)

9)         The context of this article is _____.

10)       The article presents the following alternatives: ______.

Adapted from:

Linda Elder and Richard Paul, The Thinker's Guide to Analytic Thinking (Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2006): 24-26.