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Template for Analysing the Logic of an Article
Take an article that you have been assigned to read for class, completing the “logic” of it using the
template below. This template can be modified for analysing the logic of a chapter in a textbook.
The Logic of ______________________________ (name of the 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 he / she wrote the
article).
3)
The most important
information
in the article is _______________________.
(
Figure out the facts, experiences, data the author is using to support his / her
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 understand 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]).
7)
a)
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?)
b)
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 he / she seeing it?)