Writing
5a
CRITICAL THINKING, READING, AND WRITING
For a food that is traced to Neolithic beginnings, like Mexico’s 42 tortillas, Armenia’s lahmejoun, Scottish oatcakes, and even matzos, pizza has remained fresh and vibrant. Whether it’s galettes, the latest thincrusted invasion from France with bacon and onion toppings, or a plain slice of a cheese pie, the varieties of pizza are clearly limited only by one’s imagination. —Lisa Pratt, “A Slice of History”
EXERCISE 4-10
Working individually or in a peer-response group, return to Exercise 4-1, in which you wrote introductory paragraphs for three informally outlined essays. Now, write a concluding paragraph for each.
CHAPTER 5
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
The word critical here has a neutral meaning. It doesn’t mean taking a negative view or finding fault, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. Rather, critical here applies to a mental stance of examining ideas thoroughly and deeply, refusing to accept ideas merely because they seem sensible at first thought, and tolerating questions that often lack definitive answers.
5a
What is critical thinking?
Thinking isn’t something you choose to do, any more than a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But while thinking may come naturally, awareness of how you think doesn’t. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical thinking. Critical thinking means taking control of your conscious thought processes. If you don’t take control of those processes, you risk being controlled by the ideas of others. The essence of critical thinking is thinking beyond the obvious—beyond the flash of visual images on a television screen, the alluring promises of glossy advertisements, the evasive statements by some people in the news, the half-truths of propaganda, the manipulations of SLANTED LANGUAGE, and faulty reasoning.
72
How do I engage in critical thinking?
5b
5b
How do I engage in critical
CRITICAL THINKING, READING, AND WRITING
For a food that is traced to Neolithic beginnings, like Mexico’s 42 tortillas, Armenia’s lahmejoun, Scottish oatcakes, and even matzos, pizza has remained fresh and vibrant. Whether it’s galettes, the latest thincrusted invasion from France with bacon and onion toppings, or a plain slice of a cheese pie, the varieties of pizza are clearly limited only by one’s imagination. —Lisa Pratt, “A Slice of History”
EXERCISE 4-10
Working individually or in a peer-response group, return to Exercise 4-1, in which you wrote introductory paragraphs for three informally outlined essays. Now, write a concluding paragraph for each.
CHAPTER 5
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
The word critical here has a neutral meaning. It doesn’t mean taking a negative view or finding fault, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. Rather, critical here applies to a mental stance of examining ideas thoroughly and deeply, refusing to accept ideas merely because they seem sensible at first thought, and tolerating questions that often lack definitive answers.
5a
What is critical thinking?
Thinking isn’t something you choose to do, any more than a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But while thinking may come naturally, awareness of how you think doesn’t. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical thinking. Critical thinking means taking control of your conscious thought processes. If you don’t take control of those processes, you risk being controlled by the ideas of others. The essence of critical thinking is thinking beyond the obvious—beyond the flash of visual images on a television screen, the alluring promises of glossy advertisements, the evasive statements by some people in the news, the half-truths of propaganda, the manipulations of SLANTED LANGUAGE, and faulty reasoning.
72
How do I engage in critical thinking?
5b
5b
How do I engage in critical