The purposes of a critical review are to provide a summary and an evaluation of a chapter in a book, a book, or a journal article. Writing a critical review requires the reviewer to read a chapter, book, or article closely so that he or she can present a reasonable and fair evaluation of the chapter, book, or article. The following steps with related questions are designed to facilitate a close reading for the purposes of increasing reader comprehension skills and critical evaluation of a written text.
Please read the article below to be reviewed. The article is available on Moodle. The bibliographic entry for the article appears below (APA format). Follow the steps below to help you complete this assignment.
Plummer, R. L. (2009). Parables in the Gospels: History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines.Southern
Baptist Journal of Theology, 13.3, 4-11.
1. All good writing has a controlling thesis or main point that connects all the details and facts. In some instances, hypotheses, theses, main points, or purposes are not clearly stated. Identify then state as accurately as possible the author's main thesis or purpose.
a. What is the author's thesis or purpose?
b. Is the purpose clearly stated or implied?
2. When beginning an analysis of a chapter in a book or an article, determine whether the author is addressing one or more of the following questions. Who? When? Where? Why? How? Determine whether the question is clear and well stated, and whether the question and the thesis or purpose is related directly to each other.
a. What is the key question the author is seeking to answer?
b. Determine whether the question and thesis or purpose directly related to each other.
3. What are the main point(s) presented in the chapter, book, or article? To identify the main point or points the reader must learn to use some helpful tools: headings, subheadings, the topic sentences of a paragraph, summary sentences, supporting sentences, and transitional statements. Present a summary of the main point(s) with illustrations from the text (use more space if necessary).
4. Determine the line of reasoning the author used to support his or her main point. Some devices for understanding an author's line of reasoning are terms and definitions, examples, classifications and listings, comparison and contrast, cause and effect. What line of reasoning did the author use in explaining how he or she is arrived at his or her main conclusions? Provide references from the article to support your answer.
5. What are the most important concepts, ideas, or terms a reader would have to understand in order to evaluate the author's line of reasoning?
a. Provide a list of unfamiliar concepts, idea, or terms with the author's meaning of these concepts, ideas, or terms.
b. If the author did not provide definitions of key concepts or terms, list the concept or term,consult a dictionary or encyclopedia,and then provide a definition the key concepts or terms.
6. What consequences are likely to follow if people take the author's line of reasoning seriously? List any possible consequences.
7. If people fail to take the author's line of reasoning seriously, what are the consequences? List any possible consequences.
8. Formulate a conclusion for the review. The conclusion of a critical review of a chapter in a book, a book, or an article consists of three parts: a) a restatement of your overall assessment for the chapter, book, or article; b) recommendations for the author, c) and recommendations for other readers.
a. What is your overall assessment of the chapter, book, or article? Provide your assessment and a listing any strengths or weaknesses of the chapter, book, or articlethat supports the assessment.
b. Recommendations for the author:
What would you advise the author to change for future editions of the chapter, book, or article?
b. Recommendations for other readers:
Would you recommend this chapter in a book, book, or article to potential readers? Explain why you would or would not recommend the chapter, book, or article to someone else.
Article: Parables in the Gospels: History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines1 by Robert L. Plummer