WA Worksheet_Uncovering Assumptions

Worksheet – U NCOVERING A SSUMPTIONS Name: Hardeep Bains Date: 11/6/23 GOAL: Practice analyzing the cognitive structure of a work that you are reading by U NCOVERING A SSUMPTIONS . OUTCOMES: In completing this activity, you will learn how to:  Recast the language from a statement or passage in a work that you are reading.  Uncover assumptions that are not overtly stated in the work that you are analyzing.  Reconsider the meaning of the work or passage that you are analyzing in light of the assumptions that you’ve uncovered. DIRECTIONS: Read a selection carefully and then respond to the prompts below. Your instructor may assign a specific work for you to read, or you may choose a selection from the Additional Thematic Readings for Writing Analytically folder in your MindTap course. You can learn more about U NCOVERING A SSUMPTIONS and see examples of U NCOVERING A SSUMPTIONS being applied to works in Chapter 2 of the eBook. 1) What do you want to paraphrase? Select a key statement or a short passage that makes an important claim in the work that you are reading. Write this statement or passage below. (For example, “Tax laws benefit the wealthy.”) “How does our language evolve, along with changes in the way we interact with other people, as communication technologies become increasingly complicated?” 2) What does it say? Find synonyms for all the key words in the statement or passage that you’ve selected to paraphrase. Rewrite the passage below, substituting all key terms with words of similar meaning. (For example, “The rules for paying income tax give rich people monetary advantage.”) “In which way does our dialectal progress, alongside the variations of how we interrelate with other individuals, as communication technology develop progressively complex?” 3) What are the uncovered assumptions? Make a list of the assumptions or beliefs that underlie this key statement or passage. What are the ideas that the writer seems to believe are true but that are not being stated overtly? Look for several possible uncovered assumptions. (For example, “Tax laws don’t treat people equally,” or “Tax laws should not benefit those who are already advantaged or financially well off.”) As communication technologies advance, language must evolve so as to create new modes of interaction among individuals. 4) What do you understand now? Explain how your understanding of the work that you are reading has changed or evolved as a result of uncovering assumptions. Given your analysis of these assumptions, how would you describe this work’s point of view or the beliefs that underlie the key statement or claim? Does this new insight make you respond differently to the work that you are reading? Explain why or why not. The notion that communication technologies continuously get further multifaceted is one key assumption. It’s vital that communication technologies can advance and develop more complex as Page 1 of 2