READING CRITICALLY• What is the author’s central argument or main

point, i.e. what does the author want you, the reader, to accept?

• What conclusions does the author reach?• What evidence does the author put forward in

support of his or her arguments and conclusions?• Do you think the evidence is strong enough to

support the arguments and conclusions i.e. is the evidence relevant and wide reaching enough?

• Does the author make any unstated assumptions about shared beliefs with the reader?

• Can these assumptions be challenged?• What is the background context in which the text

was written? Does the cultural and historical context have an effect on the author's assumptions, the content and the way it has been presented?

(Ridley, 2012: 66)