Chapter 13 - Reading Beyond The Words Exercises

“Critical Reading”: Chapter 13 – Reading Beyond The Words

Learning Journal (pg. 435):
Based on what I just read, I think the word taxonomy means a list of six levels of thinking for teachers to use as a curriculum guide and a way to test students. In other words, taxonomy is Bloom’s way of describing or characterizing critical thinking.

Exercise 13a:
1. B – Your proposal is the work of a fool with one eye and half a brain.
2. C – Employees present is a partner in making a decision that affects us all.
3. D – Because it can lead to a win-win solution.

Exercise 13b:
1. According to Nietzsche, Christianity and science are foes because Christianity is based on faith and putting that faith and your life in the hands of God. Where science relies more on mankind and what we can do for ourselves and for others.
2. A couple of ways the author distinguishes between Christianity and science is he shows that Christians pray to God and ask for assistance from above when they are sick or at a time of war. The sources of the power of science enable people to see a doctor when sick or follow generals and join battalions at times of war.
3. People of faith and people of science of not always see eye to eye. Starting from the beginning of Christianity, people were only followers of God, not only in their time of need, but for all time. Nowadays, science is a much stronger force in our society, and people rely on it more and more.

Exercise 13c:
1. 10x / 5 = 120 x = 60
2. x + 76 = 1102 x = 1026
3. 98x / 7 = 14 x = 1

Learning Journal (pg. 447):
Analysis level of thinking is when you pull apart facts or concepts and look at every detail for a better understanding and to help you draw a conclusion of why something is or isn’t. I look at the application level as being more structured with rules so to speak

Exercise 13d:
1. I think the author’s main point in this passage is there is a lot of ideas/ concepts in the world today that we as people are sometimes forced to accept, while other concepts, such as faith/ religion, are pushed under the rug due to the possibility of offending someone.
2. The author uses examples such as anal sex, a textbook called, “Heather Has Two Mommies”, and the Ten Commandments.
3. I feel the author may be a little bias. I feel he does not agree with certain sexual acts or preferences, while being make to feel forced to accept them. While being forced to accept the concepts he may not want to, ideas like religion are not to be spoken of. It’s almost as if this author is questioning people’s morals these days. Phrases to support my thoughts are as follows:
“It means being forced to accept as normal those behaviors and lifestyles that are absolutely abnormal.”
“For instance, we can’t teach the Ten Commandments. In fact, we can’t even post them in the classroom. Why? Because their origin is religion, and that (God forbid!) might offend.”
4. I am not sure that I think the author committed any fallacies in this passage. I don’t see this passage as being entirely factual, but more what the author perceives to be true. This is more his opinion.

Exercise 13e:
1. Linguists and biologist have similar ideas. Both are trying to learn more about the “living” while still here, and to figure out how to prevent extinction.

Reading Practice 2: “Call Me Crazy, but I Have To Be Myself”
1. B – A condition marked by moods that swing between elation and depair.
2. A – She would like to share her bipolar experience but doesn’t want to scare people.
3. D – The author feels the need to be honest with people about her condition.
4. A – Analysis
5. D – To integrate both sides of herself
6. If I were bipolar, I would pick and choose who I would tell and whom I would not tell. Unfortunately there is people while will judge you, so you have to be smart about who you share your personal stories with. At the same time, you can’t let everyone’s opinion of you bother you. You just have to be yourself. And that is how I would integrate both sides of myself into society. I would just be myself.
7. I think people with mental illnesses wake up everyday with a huge challenge. They need to be able to “overcome” their illness daily in order to be a functioning part of society.
8. Yes. I think it was wise of this author to write her article in a national magazine. For her, the most important thing was to be honest and let people know her “true” self. Some consequences could be having people judge her or look at her differently, while others will embrace her and learn from her story.
9. Some reasons why this author has kept her psychiatric history quiet all this time is because of embarrassment, shame, worry of what others will think. Also, she has always just wanted to be accepted and considered a “normal” part of society.
10. Reading the title and heading of this essay helped me to see that this story was going to be about a woman with bipolar disorder that wanted to voice her story, but still be seen as “normal.”