Q Previews are a different kind of reading and writing assignment than you are used to. Please don’t forget that they are 40% of your grade. Missing a preview will mean losing a big part of your grade. So, be very consistent in submitting your previews. After reading the assignment and using the tools you will learn from Adler’s book, you will be identifying the author’s POINT, i.e. what it is that the author wants you to understand (not merely to know) that you may not have understood before? This “point” of the reading will necessarily come down to a set of answers to one or more of the “basic philosophical-religious questions” (BPRQs) – always, in one way or another, directly or indirectly. These are the questions to which every human being must have some sort of answer in order to make choices in life. They are: 1) What is the nature of the universe? 2) What is the nature of man? 3) Therefore, what must we do to be happy? Structure your Previews by writing three paragraphs, each one corresponding to one of the three BPRQs above. Each paragraph will be graded according to the following three categories: A) Essential Point – What is the author’s thesis (state or implied answer to the BPRQ)? B) Essential Text – What text supports the author’s answer? You will need to quote from the text. C) Logical Analysis – How exactly does the author argue for this answer? The average of all nine grades will constitute the overall Preview grade, but you will be able to see the three grades for each paragraph so that you will know exactly where points were deducted and how you may improve. A good preview will be grammatically and stylistically sound. Previews should be 750 words in length, and should include some direct quotations from the text under consideration; however, quotations should not constitute more than 25% of the total number of words. Previews are to be submitted to the Turnitin Dropbox for the designated week, where you will receive comments and grades. Make sure that you review my comments on Turnitin once your paper is graded, so that you can learn and develop writing practices that help you write better on the next preview… and beyond!