What is the author’s main claim (thesis)? Is it clearly stated fairly early in the essay? Does it reflect the purpose of the essay?(2) What are his subsidiary claims? Are they clear and valid? Are they related to the main claim? (3) Does the author address opposing views fairly and counter them successfully?
B. Evidence (1) What kind of evidence does the author use? (e.g., facts, statistics, examples, personal experience, expert testimony, analogy) (2) Is the evidence sufficient, specific, relevant, and convincing? (3) Does the evidence come from a reliable source? Is it up-to-date? Does it need to be?
C. Presentation
(1) What is the author’s tone? Is it neutral, sincere, respectful, humorous, sarcastic, pessimistic, etc.? How do you know? How does it contribute to the argument? (2) How is the text organized? Is the organization effective? (3) Are there any pictures or images? Do they add or take away from the effectiveness of the essay?
