Efficient and Flexible Reading

by McWhorter, Kathleen T.

• ISBN13: 9780321146076
• ISBN10: 0321146077
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-01
• Publisher: Longman

Summary

Efficient and Flexible Reading teaches readers how to vary their approach to written texts based on the material and their purpose for reading. In addition to instruction in literal and critical comprehension skills, vocabulary, and study skills,Efficient and Flexible Reading teaches readers how to identify text structures and thought patterns for more efficient learning. Emphasizing reading as an active thinking process, the text presents systems for monitoring concentration, comprehension, and recall, encouraging students to assess the reading assignment and to select the appropriate strategy to suit the situation. The seventh edition expands coverage of the most crucial skills in both basic reading comprehension and higher-level critical reading: main ideas, patterns of organization, transitions, and critical analysis. For those who want to improve basic reading skills.

Table of Contents

Disciplinary Readings	xvii
Preface	xxi
Reading Is for Everyone
PART 1 Developing a Basis for Reading and Learning	1	(114)
Developing Your Efficiency and Flexibility	1	(30)
Analyzing Your Reading Efficiency	1	(2)
Analyzing Your Learning Style	3	(8)
Developing Reading Flexibility	11	(7)
Principles of Efficiency and Flexibility	18	(1)
Evaluating Your Rate and Flexibility	18	(4)
Critical Thinking Tip #1 Developing Critical-Thinking Skills	20	(2)
Summary	22	(9)
Reading Selection 1 ``How to Brag About Yourself to Win and Hold a New Job''	23	(4)
Reading Selection 2 ``Talking a Stranger Through the Night''	27	(4)
Active Reading and Learning	31	(42)
Reading and Thinking Actively	31	(7)
Improving Your Concentration	38	(5)
Monitoring Your Comprehension	43	(3)
Prereading and Predicting	46	(13)
Developing Guide Questions	59	(3)
Critical Thinking Tip #2 Developing a Questioning Mind-Set	61	(1)
Summary	62	(11)
Reading Selection 3 ``Profile of a Terrorist''	63	(5)
Reading Selection 4 ``Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space''	68	(5)
Strengthening Your Word Power	73	(42)
Expanding Your Vocabulary	74	(4)
Using Contextual Aids	78	(9)
Analyzing Word Parts	87	(4)
A System for Learning Unfamiliar Words	91	(3)
Using Vocabulary Reference Sources	94	(9)
Critical Thinking Tip #3 Vague Versus Clear Meanings	102	(1)
Summary	103	(12)
Reading Selection 5 ``Archaeological Sites''	104	(4)
Reading Selection 6 ``Why the Sky Is Blue, Sunsets Are Red, and Clouds Are White''	108	(5)
Academic Scenario	113	(2)
PART 2 Improving Your Comprehension	115	(142)
Main Ideas and Paragraph Structure	115	(54)
Identifying the Topic	116	(6)
Finding the Main Idea	122	(21)
Developing Expectations as You Read	143	(2)
Major and Minor Supporting Details	145	(7)
Types of Supporting Details	152	(3)
Using Transitions	155	(4)
Critical Thinking Tip #4 Recognizing Your Own Bias	158	(1)
Summary	159	(10)
Reading Selection 7 ``The Appreciation of Humor''	160	(4)
Reading Selection 8 ``Privacy on the Web''	164	(5)
Patterns: Relationships Among Ideas	169	(54)
How Recognizing a Pattern Improves Recall	170	(1)
Common Organizational Patterns	171	(33)
Other Useful Patterns of Organization	204	(5)
Using Transitional Words	209	(2)
Critical Thinking Tip #5 Analyzing Cause-Effect Relationships	210	(1)
Summary	211	(12)
Reading Selection 9 ``Electronic Monitoring: An Alternative to Imprisonment''	212	(5)
Reading Selection 10 ``How Students Get Lost in Cyberspace''	217	(6)
Reading Essays and Articles	223	(34)
Reading Essays	224	(10)
Reading Articles	234	(9)
Analyzing Essays and Articles	243	(2)
Critical Thinking Tip #6 Evaluating Research Sources	244	(1)
Summary	245	(12)
Reading Selection 11 ``Will We Control the Weather?''	247	(5)
Reading Selection 12 ``Alternative Drug Testing Update''	252	(4)
Academic Scenario	256	(1)
PART 3 Reading and Learning from College Texts	257	(116)
Techniques for Learning Textbook Material	257	(36)
Highlighting Techniques	258	(6)
Annotating and Making Marginal Notations	264	(3)
Paraphrasing	267	(4)
Outlining	271	(4)
Mapping to Show Relationships	275	(3)
Summarizing Information	278	(4)
Critical Thinking Tip #7 Annotating and Critical Thinking	281	(1)
Summary	282	(11)
Reading Selection 13 ``The Supreme Court in Action''	284	(4)
Reading Selection 14 ``Are We Alone in the Universe?''	288	(5)
Learning and Retention Strategies	293	(41)
Using the Organization of Textbook Chapters	293	(5)
Applying Effective Recall Strategies	298	(6)
Reading and Learning with the SQ3R System	304	(7)
Reading Scientific/Technical Material	311	(12)
Critical Thinking Tip #8 Using Your Background Knowledge and Experience	323	(1)
Summary	323	(11)
Reading Selection 15 ``Problem Solving''	325	(4)
Reading Selection 16 ``The Value of Pet Ownership''	329	(5)
Graphic and Visual Literacy	334	(39)
Why Graphics Are Used	334	(3)
A Strategy for Reading Graphics	337	(1)
Integrating Text and Graphics	338	(3)
Types of Graphics	341	(18)
Critical Thinking Tip #9 Analyzing Statistics	358	(1)
Summary	359	(14)
Reading Selection 17 ``Homeostasis''	360	(5)
Reading Selection 18 ``Pangaea: The Supercontinent and the Effects of Its Breakup''	365	(7)
Academic Scenario	372	(1)
PART 4 Reading Critically	373	(130)
Critical Analysis	373	(50)
Grasping Denotative and Connotative Meanings	374	(3)
Making Inferences	377	(10)
Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion	387	(7)
Recognizing Generalizations	394	(1)
Identifying Tone	395	(8)
Identifying the Author's Purpose	403	(3)
Identifying Bias	406	(2)
Understanding Figurative Language	408	(3)
Critical Thinking Tip #10 Slanted Writing	410	(1)
Summary	411	(12)
Reading Selection 19 ``I Am a Japanese American''	413	(4)
Reading Selection 20 ``Early Encounters with the Artist Within''	417	(6)
Evaluating Arguments and Persuasive Writing	423	(33)
Evaluating Source and Authority	424	(2)
Reading Arguments	426	(4)
Evaluating Arguments	430	(7)
Errors in Logical Reasoning	437	(9)
Critical Thinking Tip #11 Evaluating Emotional Appeals	445	(1)
Summary	446	(10)
Reading Selection 21 ``From a Vegetarian: Looking at Hunting from Both Sides Now''	448	(3)
Reading Selection 22 ``Out of Time''	451	(5)
Reading and Evaluating Internet Sources	456	(47)
Locating Electronic Sources on the Web	457	(2)
Tips for Locating Reliable Web Sites	459	(3)
Evaluating the Content of a Web Site	462	(2)
Evaluating the Accuracy of a Web Site	464	(1)
Evaluating the Timeliness of a Web Site	465	(1)
Evaluating the Purpose of a Web Site	466	(10)
Evaluating the Structure of a Web Site	476	(3)
A Checklist for Evaluating Web Sources	479	(1)
Reading Electronic Text	480	(3)
Developing New Ways of Thinking and Reading	483	(6)
Critical Thinking Tip #12 Choosing Between Print and Internet Sources	488	(1)
Summary	489	(14)
Reading Selection 23 ``The Sweet Lure of Chocolate''	490	(4)
Reading Selection 24 ``The Sandman Is Dead---Long Live the Sleep Deprived Walking Zombie''	494	(6)
Academic Scenario	500	(3)
PART 5 Increasing Your Rate and Flexibility	503	(72)
Skimming and Scanning	503	(33)
Skimming	503	(12)
Scanning	515	(9)
Critical Thinking Tip #13 Anticipating Your Reading Assignments	523	(1)
Summary	524	(12)
Reading Selection 25 ``Barriers to Effective Listening''	526	(4)
Reading Selection 26 ``Stress Management: Personally Adjusting to Stress''	530	(6)
Techniques for Reading Faster	536	(39)
Eye-Movement Patterns	536	(4)
Reading in Meaning Clusters	540	(4)
Key Word Reading	544	(8)
Using Transitional Words	552	(1)
Rapid Reading Drills	553	(5)
Pacing Techniques	558	(2)
Rereading for Rate Increase	560	(2)
Critical Thinking Tip #14 Recognizing Judgments	561	(1)
Summary	562	(13)
Reading Selection 27 ``Flirtation---The Signals of Attraction Deciphered''	563	(5)
Reading Selection 28 ``The Functions and Effects of Music''	568	(6)
Academic Scenario	574	(1)
PART 6 Multiple-Choice Questions for Even-Numbered Reading Selections	575	(21)
Appendix A Words-Per-Minute Conversion Chart	596	(4)
Appendix B Reading Progress Graph	600	(1)
Credits	601	(12)
Index	613