Foundation and Intermediate Phase
ENG2611 Assignment 1 Solutions
2026
ASSIGNMENT 1 FEEDFORWARD LETTER
Department of English Studies
This document contains feedback for Assignment 1 questions for this
module.
ENG2611/102/0/2026
Assignment 1
Due date: [ 29 April 2026]
, ENG2611 Assignment 1
QUESTION 1
1.1 Ways That Reading Helps You Understand the World Around
You
Reading plays an essential role in helping people make sense of the world
they live in, far beyond simply decoding letters on a page. In South Africa,
where communities are diverse and multilingual, reading equips people
with the ability to function effectively in society. At the most basic level,
reading street signs, taxi rank boards, government notices, and shop
names helps individuals navigate their physical environment with
confidence and independence. Without this ability, everyday life becomes
unnecessarily difficult and exclusionary.
On a broader level, reading newspapers, community newsletters, and
online news platforms connects people to events and developments
happening beyond their immediate surroundings. A learner in Soweto
reading about drought conditions in the Karoo, or a teacher in Limpopo
reading about curriculum changes published by the Department of Basic
Education, is using reading to engage meaningfully with the wider South
African social and political landscape. Reading therefore builds informed
citizenship. As TUT501 (2020:8) notes, reading helps us understand the
world around us and gain academic knowledge by critically analysing and
interpreting texts, making it one of the most fundamentally empowering
skills a person can develop.
1.2 Two Ways Critical Reading Differs from Simply Recognising
and Absorbing Words
Simply recognising and absorbing words is a passive process in which a
reader moves through a text accepting everything at face value without
pausing to question, analyse, or evaluate what is being communicated.
Critical reading, by contrast, is an active and intentional intellectual
process that goes significantly deeper than surface-level comprehension,
and it differs from mere word recognition in two important ways.
Firstly, critical reading requires the reader to question the purpose and
perspective behind a text. Every text is written by someone, from a
particular viewpoint, for a particular reason, and with a particular
audience in mind. A critical reader does not simply accept what is written
as neutral truth but instead asks whose voice is represented, whose is left
out, and what assumptions the writer is making. This is especially
ENG2611 Assignment 1 Solutions
2026
ASSIGNMENT 1 FEEDFORWARD LETTER
Department of English Studies
This document contains feedback for Assignment 1 questions for this
module.
ENG2611/102/0/2026
Assignment 1
Due date: [ 29 April 2026]
, ENG2611 Assignment 1
QUESTION 1
1.1 Ways That Reading Helps You Understand the World Around
You
Reading plays an essential role in helping people make sense of the world
they live in, far beyond simply decoding letters on a page. In South Africa,
where communities are diverse and multilingual, reading equips people
with the ability to function effectively in society. At the most basic level,
reading street signs, taxi rank boards, government notices, and shop
names helps individuals navigate their physical environment with
confidence and independence. Without this ability, everyday life becomes
unnecessarily difficult and exclusionary.
On a broader level, reading newspapers, community newsletters, and
online news platforms connects people to events and developments
happening beyond their immediate surroundings. A learner in Soweto
reading about drought conditions in the Karoo, or a teacher in Limpopo
reading about curriculum changes published by the Department of Basic
Education, is using reading to engage meaningfully with the wider South
African social and political landscape. Reading therefore builds informed
citizenship. As TUT501 (2020:8) notes, reading helps us understand the
world around us and gain academic knowledge by critically analysing and
interpreting texts, making it one of the most fundamentally empowering
skills a person can develop.
1.2 Two Ways Critical Reading Differs from Simply Recognising
and Absorbing Words
Simply recognising and absorbing words is a passive process in which a
reader moves through a text accepting everything at face value without
pausing to question, analyse, or evaluate what is being communicated.
Critical reading, by contrast, is an active and intentional intellectual
process that goes significantly deeper than surface-level comprehension,
and it differs from mere word recognition in two important ways.
Firstly, critical reading requires the reader to question the purpose and
perspective behind a text. Every text is written by someone, from a
particular viewpoint, for a particular reason, and with a particular
audience in mind. A critical reader does not simply accept what is written
as neutral truth but instead asks whose voice is represented, whose is left
out, and what assumptions the writer is making. This is especially
