HFCC Learning Lab Comprehension B4.0 JUDGEMENTS The word judgment is often used synonymously with words like conclusion, decision, and opinion. As far as a critical reading skill, however, we would like to differentiate judgment From its synonyms and explain how it has a special application to ideas. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, A judgment is a capacity to make reasonable decisions, especially in regard to the practical affairs of life. It involves good sense; it involves wisdom, in most cases, it involves a choice between good and evil. If, for example, you choose a particular car, or a dinner, or a mate, you have made a choice based on how you judge what is good for you. There is, of course a degree of importance involved - a dinner is not equated in importance with a mate but the point is that you consider the advantages and disadvantages (or in a moral sense, the good and evil) and make a judgment based on what would be most practical and most beneficial for you. Judges make judgments. Like judges, readers must make judgments on the evidence and examples provided by writers. A controversial issue like abortion or apartheid requires an intelligent reading and sifting of facts and examples before a valid judgment can be made by the reader. To make a sound judgment when reading, first read carefully. Evaluate the facts, ponder opinions, make inferences, and constantly think over the situation and evidence the author has presented. Finally, make a judgment that based on the facts, evidence and your own value system - that is the laws, religion and cultural milieu of society. Do not be swayed by sensationalism or highly emotional language intended to distort the facts. A judgment resembles a conclusion. But while judgments and conclusions are decisions based on valid evidence: facts, examples statistics - judgments alone have moral overtones. Conclusions, on the other hand, do not involve morality. Concluding that a diesel engine will out perform a gasoline engine under a certain set of circumstances, does not involve any ethical considerations. Nor does a choice of one structural steel over another involves ethics. They are conclusions, involving little or no consideration of human morality. Although we have reduced the process of making judgment to several steps, judgments are not east to make. To be sure, they often involve opinions as well as facts and inferences. One shades and, sometimes, shapes the other. There are no sure-fire formulas or steps that will guarantee the wisdom of Solomon; however, judgments - or decisions - must be made. Stances should be taken based on careful, critical reading. B4.0 1
The following exercise will help you to form judgments based on facts. Read the selection, then complete the statements following the selection. I Four of us patients were sitting in our wheelchairs out on the hospital porch one July day, when suddenly the bricklayer with the fractured knee pointed toward the far edge of the lawn. Several hundreds yards away near some trees a man was waving his arms frantically and jumping up and down. I could just make out that he had long hair and was wearing a sport jacket and slacks. As we watched, he dropped to his knees, tore off his jacket, and began swinging it around in every direction. Must be on drugs, snorted the bricklayer. All those long-haired hippies are hopped up on pills these days - or worse. Oh, honestly! said a teen-age girl two chairs away. He s just signaling somebody we can t see - somebody in those trees. On his hands and knees? chuckled the young man next to me. Besides, he s facing us, not the trees. I ll bet he s from the psycho ward. The guard ll be out to get him soon. Just then our ward nurse came out and saw the man. Why that s Slow-Joe Adato, the first floor orderly. He never moves unless he s forced to. He must be in trouble! She was right. Seconds later Slow-Joe found his feet and came streaking across the lawn toward us, with a swarm of bees trailing angrily behind him. I never would have believed that four people in wheelchairs could leave a porch so fast. 1. The formed a judgment without sufficient evidence. a. narrator b. young man c. ward nurse 2. The ignored meaningful evidence. a. teen-age-girl b. bricklayer c. narrator 3. The formed a judgment based on a stereotype. a. Ward nurse b. bricklayer c. teen-age girl B4.0 2
4. The made a judgment based on facts. a. ward nurse b. narrator c. young man II New Mexico s Pueblo Indians were discovered in the 16 th century by Spaniards who were searching for Cibola. This was a place north of Mexico which, according to legend, had seven cities filled with gold, silver and jewels. First came Fra Marcos de Niza in 1539. The good reports which he brought back to Mexico led to the expedition of Coronado and a three century Spanish occupation of what is now New Mexico. The Spanish called the natives Pueblos (village dwellers). The Pueblo Golden Age (950-1200), noted for the beautiful buildings, fine pottery and high-quality cotton cloth created by the ancient Pueblos, had come and gone. Gone, too, were their huge apartment houses which had protected the village against bands of Apaches, Navahos, Utes and Comanches. 1. The legend of Cibola probably was based on a. actual research b. exploration in the 1400s c. exaggerated stories d. the discoveries of Coronado 2. It is probable that the Pueblos a. could not defend themselves against the Spaniards. b. and the Comanches were friends c. learned many skills from the Spanish invaders d. gave up their customs in favor of Spanish tradition 3. During their Golden Age, the Pueblo Indians a. improved relations with other countries b. opened trade with cuba c. rejected mexican ais d. were not bothered by outsiders 4. List three products which show that the ancient Pueblos had advanced skills. 1. 2. 3 B4.0 3
George Washington the father of our country, was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. As a young man, he became a surveyor of road boundaries and property lines. At the age of 21, Washington became an officer in the British Army. He fought bravely in battles against the French and the Indians, His fame as a soldier spread. After his marriage in 1759, Washington lived at Mount Vernon, Virginia. In 1774, he was sent by the Virginia colony as a delegate to the First Continental commanderin-chief of the Army. His army faced many hardships. Money to supply the army was hard to get. The men were often without food and warm clothing. But Washington never lost hope. With great skill, he led his army to victory. In 1781 in Yorktown, Virginia, the Continental Army under General Washington won the final battle of the Revolutionary War. 1. As a young man, Washington a. was highly respected b. was concerned about democracy c. wanted to be president d. enjoyed hunting was his father 2. Washington won the final battle of the war because a. he was friendly and cheerful b. he found great joy I his work c. he was determined to achieve success d. he showed a fear of God 3. Washington s victory against the British can be traced to a. his experience as British officer years earlier b. the support give to him by Congress c. his ability to predict troop movements 4. Underline the two sentences which support the judgment that Washington s army was ill-equipped. B4.0 4
ANSWER KEY I. 1. B 2. A 3. B 4. A II. 1. C 2. A 3. D 4. Beautiful buildings, fine pottery, high-quality cotton cloth III. 1. A 2. C 3. A 4. Money to supply the army was hard to get. The men were often without food and warm clothing. B4.0 5