Critical Reading Analysis: Evaluating Claims and Evidence

This assignment presents a critical reading analysis of an article, focusing on the author's argument, claims, and supporting evidence. The analysis begins by identifying the author's main claims, such as the negative impact of adultification on children and the ineffectiveness of school shooting drills, supported by research findings from the National Institute of Mental Health. The assignment evaluates the reliability of the author's sources and the strength of the evidence, including the use of ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the reader. The strengths of the argument include the psychological impact of events, while the weaknesses include the lack of alternative solutions. The assignment seeks to evaluate the author's effectiveness in building an argument, citing evidence, and using rhetorical appeals.

Critical Reading Analysis Worksheet Part 2
Read the article assigned by the instructor again with a focus on critical reading.
In this section, you will focus on the author's argument and how that argument is constructed.
You will begin to make evaluative judgments about the quality of the argument.
Once you are confident that you understand the text's meaning, determine how the author
builds his or her claims and answer the following questions.
Part Two: Claims and Evidence
1. What claims does the author make in support of the larger thesis (sub-points of
thesis)? Outline the claims that the author makes throughout the article.
The author provides the various kinds of real-life problems which the children deal with
such as 'anxiety, self-mutilation and suicide' on which the government can invest to make their
life easier rather than investing in mock drills for an unlikely event. The author claims that the
adultification of the student is the major setback for their psychological growth.
2. Briefly summarize the key points of evidence that the author uses to support
each of the above claims. What types of evidence does the author rely on (what
kinds of sources, what types of information, what kinds of observational evidence)?
The author gives the research finding from the study that was funded by the National
Institute of Mental Health that shows the deterioration in the starting age in which psychological
problems such as anxiety disorders showed up. The second claim of adultification is given by the
expectations of the adults who are being thrust on the children by them.
3. Evaluate the author's use of evidence. Are the author's sources reliable? Does
the evidence support the claims? Is the evidence varied, or does the author rely too
heavily on one source or one kind of evidence? Provide support for your answers.
The reliable sources support the author's claims for they are all officially funded
researches and studies. The evidence shows the psychological traumas in add on to the stress
hormones which are already present due to the parental and societal pressure of making to

college. Christakis does not rely heavily on her evaluation but has backed it up with various
supporting evidence.
4. Does the author balance ethos, pathos, and logos appeals? Which appeal(s)
does the author rely on the most? Provide examples. Are any of the appeals missing
from the article?
Christakis appeal in the article shows all the approaches. Employing ethics, she shows
how the real-life shooting drill impact with the help of the letter written by a twelve-year-old.
While explaining the different kinds of activities in which the children are thrown since their
kindergarten and by giving the example of the nursery rhymes which teaches the instructions to
be followed in case of shooting, she appeals to our pathos. When she provides the patterns of the
various aspects of the school curriculum, which could benefit from the funding which is spent on
the drills, she appeals to our logos.
5. What are the strengths of the argument being presented? Be specific.
The strength of the argument is the psychological impact that she has shown with the
help of findings from the study, which indicates the degrading effect. The drill for the shooting is
deemed as an unnecessary exercise which leaves its imprint on children whose understanding has
not been developed to understand such incidences.
6. What are the weaknesses of the argument being presented? Be specific.
The weakness of the argument is very little in the case of evidence. Although there is a
lack of understanding that even one life matter and even so, the drills cannot be the solution to
this, there are no other options given by the author.