Reading Flashcards
Summary
shortened version of the original text written by the reader & highlights main points covered/outlines the original text to get a bigger picture
Paraphrasing
reader takes a small part of the passage and list or describes its main points; focus on just few lines of text. Also, does not add new information nor remove essential facts that will change the meaning of the source.
Topic
The subject of the text; can usually be described in one-to two-word phrases and appears in the simplest forms
Main idea
A more detailed and provides the author’s central point of the text. It can be expressed through a complete sentence and is often found in the BME of a paragraph.
Supporting Details
Help readers better develop and understand the main idea by asking questions like who, what, where, when, why and how. It uses examples, facts, statistics, anecdotes, and sensory detail.
Persuasive Text
Authors attempt to make readers agree with their point of view and supporting details are often used as “selling points.”
Informative Text
Use supporting details such as examples and facts to inform readers.
Memorandums (Memo)
Convey basic information in a specific and concise message. It has a heading, which includes the information to, from, date, and subject, and body, which is either in paragraph form or bullet points that detail what was in the subject line.
Advertisements
Offer basic information, such as the item in question, a description, picture, cost, and the seller’s contact information. It may also note a willingness to negotiate on the price or offer an option to trade in lieu of sale.
Line Graphs
Rely on horizontal X axis and vertical Y axis to establish baseline values. Dots are plotted where the horizontal and vertical axes intersect, and those dots are connected with lines. It shows the fluctuation of only one variable.
Bar Graph
Are displayed on a vertical Y axis and can be two or three dimensional. The X axis is excellent for making comparisons because it shows differences between several variables.
Pie chart
Is divided into wedges that represent a numerical piece of the whole. Are useful for demonstrating how different categories add up to 100 percent, also useful for tracking finances. However, it’s not useful in comparing dissimilar items.
Reading Inch Scaling
The longest black lines indicate the inch mark, and the slightly shorter lines indicate the half inch marks. Progressively shorter black lines indicate the quarter inch, eighth inch, and sometimes even sixteenth inch marks.
Reading Maps
Legends and map keys are placed on maps to identify what the symbols on the map represent. They are necessary to avoid the needless repetition of the same information because of the large amounts of information condensed onto a map. There may be a compass rose that shows you direction “North, South, East, West,” most maps are oriented North. Also have scales, which are a types of legend or key that shows relative distance between fixed points.
Sequence Structure aka Order Structure
When the order of events proceeds in a predictable order. In this, the text goes through the plot elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Exposition
The introduction of the characters and the basic situation.
Conflict
Occurs after exposition and before rising action; in the middle. Is a struggle between opposing forces that drives the action of the story.
Rising Action
The portion of the story where the conflict arises, an increase in tension and suspense.
Climax
The peak or height of tension, action, conflict and point of no return.
Falling Action
The portion of the story where conflict/tension decreases.
Resolution
The outcome of the conflict. In this, the conflicts presented in the exposition are solved and the story concludes.
Fact
Information that can be proven true and tends to be associated with science, mathematics, and statistics.
Opinions
Information open to debate and are often tied to subjective concepts which can be controversial.
Bias
An individual prejudice where people ignore evidence that contradicts their position while offering as proofs any evidence that supports it.
Stereotype
A widely held belief projected onto a group and tend to make assumptions based on what others have told them and usually have little firsthand experience with group or item in question.
Narrative
The art of storytelling which has three characteristics: characters, plot or sequence of events, and conflict.
Characters - can be defined as anything that thinks, acts, and talks like a human
Plot/Sequence of Events - can follow standard plot diagram or start IN MEDIAS RES (in the middle so near the climax = fill with foreshadowing & flashbacks)
Conflict -
Internal: character is in turmoil and is presented through a character’s thoughts
External: conflicts are visible, include person vs nature, person vs another person, or person vs society
Technical aka Descriptive Writing
Filled with steps, charts, graphs, data and statistics. The goal is to advance understanding in a field through the scientific method and is not meant to be understood by the general public since it uses jargon. So, technical writers assume readers have received a formal education in a particular filed of study and need no explanation as to what the jargon means.
Persuasive Writing
Is designed to change opinions and attitudes. The topic, stance, and arguments are found in the thesis, positioned near the end of the introduction. Later supporting paragraphs offer relevant quotations, paraphrases, and summary from primary and secondary sources which are interpreted, analyzed, and evaluated. The goal is to develop original ideas by using sources as a starting point and making powerful arguments with valid sources and thoughtful analysis.
Author’s Purpose - Persuasive Writing
Used to persuade or convince readers of something & contains an argument and counterargument. The argument takes a stance on an issue while the counterargument pokes holes in the opposition’s stance. Author’s rely on logic, emotion, and writer’s credibility to persuade readers to agree with them.
Author’s Purpose - Informative Writing
Tries to teach or inform & is usually based on facts and is often void of emotion and persuasion. Generally contain statistics, charts, and graphs.
Author’s Purpose - Stories/Narratives
Entertaining writing is designed to delight and engage the reader. However, sometimes this type of writing can be woven into more serious materials, such as persuasive or informative writing to hook the reader before transitioning into a more scholarly discussion.
Author’s Purpose - Emotional Writing
Works to evoke the reader’s feelings, such as anger, euphoria, or sadness. The connection between reader and author is an attempt to cause the reader to share the author’s intended emotion or tone. To make a piece more poignant, the author simply wants readers to feel the same emotions that the author has felt. The author attempts to persuade or manipulate the reader into adopting their stance.
Author’s POV - Informative Writing
Present facts in an accessible way.
Author’s POV - Persuasive Writing
Appeal to emotions and logic to inspire the reader to adopt a specific stance; often lacks objectivity.
Author’s POV - Descriptive Writing
Designed to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, while writings that entertain are often narratives designed to engage and delight the reader.
Connotation
Refers to the implied meaning of a word or phrase. Are the ideas or feelings that words or phrases invoke other than their literal meaning & can be very effective language tool in creating emotion & swaying opinion.
Used if the author’s purpose is to inform, instruct, and familiarize readers with a difficult subject; could undermine credibility & confuse reader.
Denotation
The literal definition of a word or phrase. The meaning of a word is the one you would find in a dictionary.
Used if the author wants to create a credible, scholarly effect in their text which emphasizes literal, factual meaning and examples.
