1. 4 The Art of Critical Reading Reading Critically Mather ▪ McCarthy
PART 4
Reading Critically
Chapter 9
Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Introduction to Point of View
Point of view is a mental attitude from which a person views or judges something.
*A point of view can be favorable, unfavorable, or neutral.
*A writer’s point of view leads to opinions and beliefs.
*Other terms for point of view are perspective and standpoint.
A critical reader must be able to recognize and understand an author’s point of view while maintaining an open and questioning attitude.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Test-Taking Tip
Improving Your Performance on Essay Tests
During the test…
Carefully read the question, and think: What is the question asking you to do?
Give yourself some time to think before you start writing.
Think which material from the course the answer will involve, and make some notes of what you remember about this material.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Remember to write legibly and answer in complete sentences.
Proofread your essay before turning it in, and correct any grammar, spelling, or punctuation mistakes.
If you do not have enough time to answer the entire question, you can write some notes in summary form at the end to get partial credit.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

5. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
Vocabulary
This unit begins with word parts relating to law, politics, and power. It then looks at word parts relating to religious beliefs, and then covers word parts relating to time.
legis—law; demos—people; polis—city; graph--write
legal
of or based on law; lawful. Comes from legis meaning “law.
legislature
a group of people who meet together to write and enact laws.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
legitimate
Allowed by law or custom; being justifiable; born of parents who are married to each other.
illegitimate
against the laws or rules.
democracy
Demos means “the people,” so democracy means “government by the people.”   
demography
Literally demography means “to write about people.”It is the science of vital and social statistics, concerned with such things as the births, deaths, diseases, marriages, and education of a population.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The following words come from the Greek word polis, which means city-state. In ancient Greece, each city was a state unto itself because
there was no greater political authority.
political
In ancient Greece, each city-state was responsible for its own
political or governmental affairs. Today the word also refers to political parties, such as Libertarian, Republican, Democratic, or Green.
politician
a person who is active in politics as a career; a seeker or holder of public office.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
cracy--rule, strength, power; archy—rule; auto--self, by one’s self; theo--god
anarchy
the complete absence of government or the rule of law.
monarchy
government by one person, usually a king, queen, or emperor.  
autocracy
government in which one person has all the power.
Auto means “self or by one’s self.”
oligarchy
a form of government in which power is vested in a few persons.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
plutocracy
a government in which the wealthy class rules.
patriarchy
an institution or organization in which power is held by males and passed on through males, quite often from father to son.
matriarchy
a family, society, or state governed by women or where a woman is the dominant member of the group.
theocracy
theo means “god,” so a theocracy means “rule by God.”
A theocracy is a government that claims to be based on divine authority  
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
agogos—lead, bring together, excite; potis—powerful; syn--same
demagog(ue)
according to its word parts, a demagogue is a person who leads and excites people, or a person who gains power by arousing people’s emotions and prejudices. The word usually has a negative connotation.
synagogue
A building where Jews gather for worship and religious study. The literal meaning is to bring together or lead.
potent
having great power; having a strong effect on the body or mind; producing powerful physical or chemical effects.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
potential
capable of coming into being but not yet actual.
potentate
A person having great power; a ruler or monarch.
deus—god; sanct—holy; sacri—holy; ology--study of; ism- doctrine or theory
theology
the study of God and religious beliefs.
atheism
the belief that there is no god.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

12. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
monotheism
the belief that there is only one god.
polytheism
the belief in more than one god.
deity
a god or goddess.
deify
to make a god of.
sanctuary
a sacred or holy place; a place of protection, shelter, or refuge.
sanctify
to make saintly or holy.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
sanction
approval given by someone in authority.
sacred
holy or set apart for some religious purpose; not to be broken or ignored.
sacrament
A sacred ceremony in Christian churches, such as baptism and Holy Communion. A sacrament was originally an oath of allegiance taken by a Roman soldier.
chrono—time; temp—time, moderate; ana—back, up, again
chronology
The science or study of measuring time; arranging events in the sequence in which they happened.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
synchronize
According to its word parts, synchronize means “at the same time.
anachronism
The literal meaning is “back in time.” Anything that is out of its proper time in history.
chronicle
to tell or write the story of; a chronological record of events; a history.
chronometer
a device for measuring time; a clock or watch.
temporary
lasting or effective for a short time only.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. The Art of Critical Reading The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
The Art of Critical Reading
Mather ▪ McCarthy
contemporary
existing or happening in the same period of time; a person living in the same period as another.
temper
a mood or state of mind. Temp also means “to moderate.”
temperate
neither very hot nor very cold; moderate.
temperance
moderation in one’s actions, appetites, or feelings; drinking few, if any, alcoholic beverages.
Chapter 9: Point of View
© 2009 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.