Am I capable of critical thinking?

First off let me warn you that for what ever reason my brain is not function to it's highest capacity today. I've read and reread the writing assignment multiple times and have been staring at my computer for the last hour (ok maybe longer) and just can't seem to wrap my brain around what I need to do. So if this comes out sounding like complete jibberish I apologize.

And now on with the show.

So what happened in these stories on a literal level?
Calling Home: Jean shoplifts and is subsequently caught and taken to jail. She has to deal with her feelings of guilt and fear at disappointing her parents.

An American Childhood: Annie and her friends are throwing snowballs at passing cars. They get chased through the neighborhood by an irritated driver who when he finally catches them, does nothing but chew them out and then heads back to his car.

For the "Analyzing Writing Strategies" I chose the visual description question. In this task we are first told to reread paragraphs 10-13 underlining the names of objects and people, and to put brackets around the words or phrases that describe those words. Then consider these questions: Does naming something sometimes occur without any accompanying detailing? How do you think the naming helps you as a reader visualize the scene and people? What do you think the detailing contributes?
For the sake of time and space I will just put the names or objects and the words or phrases that describe them. Typing the whole 3 paragraphs here would be a bit excessive I think. (I may have done more than necessary already)
[snowy] Reynolds sidewalk
[city] clothes
suit
tie
[street] shoes
[normal] adult
[thin] man
corner
[yellow, brick] house
driver
Buick
[yellow] house
[backyard] path
[low] tree
bank
hedge
[snowy] steps
[grocery store's delivery] driveway
gap
hedge
[scruffy] backyard
[back] porch (wasn't so sure about this one)
Edgerton Avenue
Edgerton
alley
[sliding] woodpile
[Halls front] yard
Lloyd Street
[mazy] backyards
[steep] Hilltop
Willard
Lang

Naming something often occurs without any accompanying detailing. Many times I believe it is because there has already been some other descriptive information in the sentence leading up to it and so more description is not needed.
The naming in this section of the story, most specifically the amount of naming, helped me to visualize just how much ground they covered during the chase. It gives us an idea of what the neighborhood was like and how well the children knew the area. It also shows how hard they were trying to get away and just how determined the driver of the Buick was to catch them. I think the detailing is very important in this part of the story because it helps to build the suspense of the chase. Will the man catch them. Why is he trying so hard to catch them when "Any normal adult would have quit"? What will he do if he catches them?

There are many features that effective stories have but the particular one that I find draws me into a story the most is make the person/people in the story relatable. Make me feel the characters fear at being caught. The amazement that he has chased so far and so hard. The confusion at the drivers actions when the chase is finally over.