Sample Question Guide for Reading Prose Nonfiction
Initial Response
What is your opinion on this topic?
Does this selection appeal to you? Did you enjoy reading it?
Of what events does this remind you?
How did this selection affect you?
Does the author say anything with which you can identify?
Does this description make sense in relation to your experiences?
Did you get a sense of character for any of the people involved or was the information purely factual?
.............
Initial Understanding
What are the main points or events?
What does this selection tell you about the topic?
How are the ideas or story organized?
What is the author's purpose?
What does the author think about the topic?
What is the selection's overall message? Does it appeal to the emotions? Intellect? Both?
Is this selection based upon fact or opinion?
Has the author done anything in particular to bring the subject matter to life?
.....
Developing Interpretation
What qualities of the author's style can be identified (e.g., word choice, rhetorical questions, anecdote, narrative, use of dialogue, commentary)?
What is the author's tone (e.g., personal, objective, a
combination)?
What picture of the author emerges?
Is the treatment sympathetic? Balanced? Biased?
Does the selection shed light on social and political realities?
What literary devices did the writer use to communicate the ideas (e.g., flashback, parallelism, irony, images, repetition)?
.......
Developing a Critical Stance
Why did the writer consider the subject worthy to write about?
Is this information useful? Accurate?
Why has the writer said this about the subject?
Do you trust the information? Was it accurate? Up-to-date?
Is the author qualified to write about this topic?
Is this a good piece of prose? Why or why not?
What does the selection not address?