← English Literature syllabus

GeorgiaEnglish Literature

Reading Informational and Argumentative Texts

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you break an argument into its claim, reasons, and evidence, and evaluate whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence sufficient?

Analyzing argument and claims: identifying the claim, reasons, and evidence in an argumentative text, distinguishing claims from counterclaims, and evaluating the validity of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence on a Georgia Milestones argumentative passage.
How to analyze an argument on the Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC: breaking it into claim, reasons, and evidence, telling claims from counterclaims, and evaluating whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient.
9 min answer →

How do you identify an author's purpose and the rhetorical choices (appeals, word choice, structure) that serve it, and explain their effect on the reader?

Author's purpose and rhetoric: determining an author's purpose (to inform, persuade, analyze, or reflect), identifying rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and devices (word choice, repetition, rhetorical questions, structure), and explaining how these choices advance the purpose on a Georgia Milestones informational passage.
How to analyze an author's purpose and rhetoric on the Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC: identifying purpose, recognizing the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) and devices, and explaining how a choice advances the purpose and affects the reader rather than just naming it.
9 min answer →

How do you state the central idea of an informational text as a full sentence, distinguish it from a supporting detail, and trace how it is developed across the passage?

Central ideas in informational texts: determining the central idea of an essay, speech, or historical document, stating it as a complete sentence, distinguishing it from supporting details, and analyzing how the writer develops and refines the central idea across a Georgia Milestones informational passage.
How to find the central idea of an informational or argumentative text on the Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC: stating it as a full sentence, telling it apart from supporting details, and tracing how the writer develops it across the passage.
9 min answer →

How do you compare two texts on the same topic, identifying where they agree, disagree, or differ in purpose, and synthesize them into one analytical point?

Comparing and synthesizing paired texts: analyzing how two texts on a related topic treat it differently (in claim, purpose, evidence, or tone), identifying agreement and disagreement, and synthesizing both into one point, the skill that underlies the source-based writing response on a Georgia Milestones paired-text set.
How to compare and synthesize paired texts on the Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC: analyzing how two texts treat a shared topic differently, finding agreement and disagreement, and combining both into one analytical point, the skill behind the source-based writing response.
9 min answer →

How do you cite the strongest, most explicit textual evidence for an answer, and draw an inference that the text supports rather than guessing?

Text evidence and inference: citing strong and thorough textual evidence to support an analysis, drawing inferences that the text supports, and distinguishing a defensible inference from an unsupported guess on a Georgia Milestones reading passage.
How to cite textual evidence and draw inferences on the Georgia Milestones American Literature EOC: choosing the strongest, most explicit evidence, drawing inferences the text supports, and telling a defensible inference from an unsupported guess. Often tested with two-part evidence items.
9 min answer →