Critical Review
Response
The more you write, the more points you will get. Many of
the questions can be answered with
very short answers, but that misses the point. You are answering these
questions for the benefit of the writer of your paper; short answers won’t help
that person much; that person would be better served by full commentary. So
back up each of your answers will examples from the paper. Tell why you are giving the answers you are
giving. The more you say, the better.
1.
Put
your name in the upper right of this paper. Then, for #1, write the name of the
person who wrote the paper you are reading. (This paper will be given back to
the writer of the paper, but your name will first be removed from the
upper-right-hand corner.)
The Introductory
Paragraph:
2.
The
writer should have started general and worked toward a more specific point. The
title of the short story about which he or she will be writing should not
appear till near the end of the paragraph. Evaluate how well they followed this
direction.
The First Body
Paragraph:
3.
Copy
the topic sentence. If the paragraph focuses on a single literary term, then
the topic sentence should name that term. If the paragraph is not focused on a
single literary term, the topic sentence should clue the reader in on what to
expect in the upcoming paragraph. How well does the topic sentence perform this
job?
4.
The
writer was warned to avoid just retelling the story. Anywhere you have two
consecutive (or more) sentences that retell the plot (and serve no other
purpose but to retell the plot), you have a serious problem. How well did the
writer avoid resorting to plot summary?
5.
The
writer’s job was to help you, the reader, to understand the story better—in a
more literary way. How well did the writer achieve this task?
6.
How
well was the incorporating of quotations handled? Do the quotations serve a
purpose of helping the writer make the point that he or she was trying to make,
or do they just seem to appear randomly? Was the MLA in-text citation handled
properly?
The Second Body
Paragraph:
7.
Copy
the topic sentence. If the paragraph focuses on a single literary term, then
the topic sentence should name that term. If the paragraph is not focused on a
single literary term, the topic sentence should clue the reader in on what to
expect in the upcoming paragraph. How well does the topic sentence perform this
job?
8.
The
writer was warned to avoid just retelling the story. Anywhere you have two
consecutive (or more) sentences that retell the plot (and serve no other
purpose but to retell the plot), you have a serious problem. How well did the
writer avoid resorting to plot summary?
9.
The
writer’s job was to help you, the reader, to understand the story better—in a
more literary way. How well did the writer achieve this task?
10.
How
well was the incorporating of quotations handled? Do the quotations serve a
purpose of helping the writer make the point that he or she was trying to make,
or do they just seem to appear randomly? Was the MLA in-text citation handled
properly? (See the back of this handout.)
Other
11.
What
is your opinion of the writer’s writing ability, their “voice,” their use of
sentence structure and vocabulary? In other words, does their writing sound
like the writing of a college student? a 10th grader? a 5th
grader?
12.
How
close to error-free is the paper?
13.
Did
the writer of the paper set up the paper correctly? How about the title? (See
the back of this handout.)
Firstname Lastname
Mr. Moeller
Name of the Class You Are In
1 January 2015
A Worthwhile Title of Your Paper: Not
the Name of the Assignment
Xxxxx xxx
xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx
xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx
xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx
xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx.
Xxxxx xxx
xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx
xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx
xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx
xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x
xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx.
Xxxxx xxx
xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx
xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx
xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx
xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx.
Xxxxx xxx
xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx
xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx
xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xxxxx xx xxx x xxxxx x xxxxx xx xxx xx
xxxx xxxxxxx xx xx xxx xxxxx xx x xxx xxxx xx. Xxxxx xxx xx …
MLA In-Text
Citation: There
are two possibilities:
1.
If
the writer’s name appears in the sentence, only the page number will appear in
the parentheses: One driver, Peter Cohen, writes that after he was rear-ended,
the guilty party emerged from his vehicle still talking on the phone (127).
2.
If
the writer’s name does not appear in the sentence, it will appear in the
parentheses, along with the page number: One driver writes that after he was
rear-ended, the guilty party emerged from his vehicle still talking on the
phone (Cohen 127).