Preparing to Read: Try It Yourself

Before reading the essay itself, read the headnote about its author and glance at the text of the essay. Then, answer the following questions about the essay you are studying in the writing space provided.

1		Who is the author?
2		What does the biographical note tell you about the author?
3		What does the title imply about the contents of this piece?
4		How long is the essay?
5		When was the piece written?
6		Does it have any subheadings, section breaks, or footnotes?
7		Is the piece a fully contained work, or is it an excerpt from a larger text?
8		Does it contain any visual or mathematical aids (graphs, charts, diagrams, lists)?
9		Does the author provide any typographical signals (quotation marks or italics) to highlight certain words?
10		Are other books and authors cited in the essay?
11		Does the essay contain organizational tools such as Arabic or Roman type?
12		After answering these questions, write down any additional questions that you have before reading the essay you have been assigned.