Brainstorming Questions for the Summary and Assessment Essay

  • Due No Due Date
  • Points 10
  • Submitting a text entry box or a file upload
  • File Types doc, docx, pdf, and rtf

Before you write an outline or a draft of your summary and assessment essay, you may find it helpful to answer the questions below. They will help you think about the structure of the argument you plan to write about as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

What do you think is the main claim? 

In other words, what does the writer most want to convince us of? Where is the writer going with all this? If they had to make their point in just one sentence, what would they say? Explain in your own words.

What are the argument’s reasons, counterarguments, and limits?

How will you describe the argument’s claims, reasons, and counterarguments?

How would you assess the main claim/argument (Review Chapter 4 Links to an external site.)?

  • What are the strengths of the text?
  • What are its weaknesses?
  • Are there any problems with the logic of the argument? Name and define them.
  • Does the text contain assumptions that might need to be questioned?
  • Has the text sufficiently considered counterarguments? 
  • Evaluate the merit of the work: how persuasive are its points, its accuracy, completeness, organization, and so on?
  • Would you recommend that others read this work? Why or why not?

 

This worksheet created by Saramanda Swigart and adapted by Anna Mills, licensed CC BY-NC.

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