Summarize objectively vs critique

Reading carefully means two different things depending on your goal. When you summarize, your job is to be a mirror: reflect what the text says, as neutrally and accurately as possible, without letting your own opinions in. When you critique, your job is to be a judge: evaluate the quality of the text — what it does well, what it fails to do, and why those judgements matter. Both skills require evidence from the text. The difference is what you do with that evidence.

What is an objective summary?

An objective summary answers three questions neutrally: What is this text about? Who is involved, and what happens? What is the main point or argument? The word "objective" is the key: your feelings, preferences, and reactions must stay out of it. A summary that begins "This wonderful story follows..." has already broken the rule — "wonderful" is an opinion, not a fact. Stick to descriptive, reporting verbs: the text describes, explores, argues, follows, presents, explains. Never: the text succeeds, fails, disappoints, impresses.

What is a critique?

A critique evaluates. It asks: does this text achieve what it set out to do? Is the writing effective? Are the characters convincing, the argument logical, the evidence strong? A critique always names a specific feature, makes a judgment about it, and then supports that judgment with a quotation or example from the text. A critique that says "the characters are bad" has no evidence and no reasoning. A critique that says "the dialogue feels unnatural because every character speaks in complete, formal sentences even in moments of panic" has identified a feature, made a judgment, and explained it with a reason rooted in the text.

How to tell them apart in practice

• Objective summary: "The story follows a girl who moves to a new city and struggles to make friends." — factual, neutral, reporting.
• Critique: "The ending feels rushed and unconvincing because the protagonist’s transformation from isolated to accepted takes place over a single afternoon with no realistic conflict." — judgment word (rushed, unconvincing), feature identified (the ending / pace of transformation), evidence given (single afternoon, no conflict).
• Objective summary: "The author uses flashbacks to reveal the backstory of the conflict between the two families." — describes what the author does, no evaluation.
• Critique: "The flashbacks, while informative, interrupt the momentum of the present-tense narrative at key moments of tension, reducing dramatic impact." — evaluates the effectiveness of that technique.