Skimming means reading quickly to get the general idea of a text — looking at headings, first sentences and images. Scanning means searching quickly for a specific piece of information, like a date or a name, without reading every word. Good notes capture key points in your own words, using short phrases rather than full sentences, so you can review them quickly later.
Example
If you need to find "what year the Eiffel Tower was built" in a long article, you'd scan for the words "Eiffel Tower" and nearby numbers rather than reading the whole article from the start.
Key terms
Skimming:
Reading quickly to get the general idea of a text.
Scanning:
Searching quickly for a specific piece of information.
Note-taking:
Recording key points in short form for later review.
Questions
1. Skimming means:
Reading every word slowly
Reading quickly for the general idea
Ignoring the text completely
Memorising the text word for word
2. Scanning means:
Searching quickly for specific information
Reading word by word
Skipping the whole text
Writing an essay
3. Good notes are usually written:
As full, long sentences
As short phrases or key words
In a different language
As one giant paragraph
4. Skimming is useful for:
Finding one exact date
Getting a general overview quickly
Memorising every word
Ignoring headings
5. Scanning is useful for:
Getting a general overview
Finding a specific fact quickly
Reading for enjoyment slowly
Writing a story
6. When skimming, it helps to look at:
Headings and first sentences
Only the last page
Random single letters
Nothing at all
7. Taking notes in your own words helps you:
Understand and remember better
Copy the text exactly
Avoid reading altogether
Make the text longer
8. If you need to quickly find a phone number in a long document, you should:
Skim the whole thing slowly
Scan for the number pattern
Read every word aloud
Close the document
9. If you want a general sense of what a chapter is about before reading it fully, you should:
Skim it first
Scan for one number only
Skip it entirely
Memorise it word for word
10. Effective notes typically include:
Every single word from the source
Key words, short phrases and main ideas
Random unrelated facts
Nothing useful
11. Headings and subheadings are useful when skimming because they:
Show the structure and main topics
Are always irrelevant
Replace the need to read at all
Are only decorative
12. When scanning for a name in a text, it helps to look for:
Capital letters, since names are proper nouns
Only lowercase words
The colour of the page
The page number only
13. Note-taking using abbreviations and symbols (like "&" for "and") mainly helps you:
Write notes faster
Make notes harder to understand
Avoid understanding the topic
Use more paper
14. Skimming before reading in full can help you:
Decide if the text is relevant to what you need
Replace reading entirely, every time
Understand every detail without reading further
Avoid taking any notes
15. A student needs to find three key dates in a long history text for an assignment. The most efficient approach is to:
Read the whole text word-for-word from start to finish
Skim for structure first, then scan for the dates
Ignore the text and guess
Only read the last paragraph
16. Which is the biggest risk of relying only on skimming for an assignment that requires deep understanding?
You might miss important details and nuance
You will read too slowly
You will memorise too much
There is no risk at all
17. Organising notes under clear headings that match the source text's structure mainly helps you:
Find and review information later more easily
Make the notes longer than the original
Avoid needing headings in the original
Confuse future you
18. When scanning a webpage for a price, using your browser's "Find" (Ctrl+F) tool is an example of:
Skimming
A digital way of scanning for specific information
Note-taking
A punctuation mark
19. Rewriting notes in your own words rather than copying them directly is valuable mainly because it:
Forces you to process and understand the meaning
Takes less time than copying
Is required by law
Makes notes less accurate
20. A student skims an article and thinks they fully understand it, but then fails a detailed quiz on it. This suggests they should have:
Skimmed even faster
Followed up with a closer, full reading
Never taken notes
Ignored headings next time
21. The main difference between skimming and scanning is that skimming is for a general overview, while scanning is for:
Finding specific information
Reading every word carefully
Writing a summary
Memorising the whole text
Answer key (parent copy)
1. Reading quickly for the general idea
2. Searching quickly for specific information
3. As short phrases or key words
4. Getting a general overview quickly
5. Finding a specific fact quickly
6. Headings and first sentences
7. Understand and remember better
8. Scan for the number pattern
9. Skim it first
10. Key words, short phrases and main ideas
11. Show the structure and main topics
12. Capital letters, since names are proper nouns
13. Write notes faster
14. Decide if the text is relevant to what you need
15. Skim for structure first, then scan for the dates
16. You might miss important details and nuance
17. Find and review information later more easily
18. A digital way of scanning for specific information
19. Forces you to process and understand the meaning