Reading strategies in practice

Choosing the right reading strategy saves time and improves understanding. If you need a general sense of what a whole text is about, skim it — glance at headings, first and last sentences, and any images. If you need one specific fact, like a date, name or number, scan for it instead of reading everything. Once you've found what you need, jot it down as a short note in your own words rather than copying whole sentences.

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. 1. If you need a general sense of a whole text, you should:

   • Scan for one word
   • Skim it
   • Ignore it
   • Memorise it word for word

2. 2. If you need one specific fact, like a date, you should:

   • Skim the whole text slowly
   • Scan for it
   • Skip the text entirely
   • Write an essay

3. 3. A good note captures information:

   • Copied word for word
   • In your own short words
   • In a different language
   • As a long essay

4. 4. Skimming involves looking at:

   • Headings and first sentences
   • Only the last word
   • Random punctuation
   • Nothing at all

5. 5. Scanning is best used to find:

   • A general overview
   • One specific fact quickly
   • A whole story
   • A new topic

6. 6. Taking notes in your own words helps you:

   • Understand and remember better
   • Copy text exactly
   • Avoid reading
   • Make the text longer

7. 7. Before reading a whole article, skimming helps you decide:

   • If it's relevant to what you need
   • The author's birthday
   • The font used
   • Nothing useful

8. 8. To quickly find a specific date in a long article, the best approach is to:

   • Read every word slowly
   • Scan for numbers near relevant words
   • Skim only the title
   • Close the article

9. 9. To get a general sense of a chapter before reading it fully, you should:

   • Skim it first
   • Scan for one number only
   • Skip it entirely
   • Memorise it

10. 10. Effective notes typically include:

    • Every word from the source
    • Key words and short phrases
    • Random unrelated facts
    • Nothing useful

11. 11. Headings are useful when skimming because they:

    • Show the structure and main topics
    • Are always irrelevant
    • Replace reading completely
    • Are only decorative

12. 12. When scanning for a name, it helps to look for:

    • Capital letters, since names are proper nouns
    • Only lowercase words
    • The page colour
    • The page number only

13. 13. Using abbreviations in notes (like "&" for "and") mainly helps you:

    • Write notes faster
    • Make notes harder to read
    • Avoid understanding the topic
    • Use more paper

14. 14. Skimming before a full read can help you:

    • Decide if a text is worth reading in full
    • Replace reading entirely
    • Understand every detail instantly
    • Avoid taking notes ever

15. 15. A student needs three key statistics from a long report for a project. The most efficient approach is to:

    • Read the whole report word-for-word
    • Skim for structure first, then scan for the statistics
    • Ignore the report and guess
    • Only read the introduction

16. 16. The biggest risk of only skimming a text that needs deep understanding is:

    • Missing important details and nuance
    • Reading too slowly
    • Memorising too much
    • There is no risk

17. 17. Organising notes under headings that match the source text mainly helps you:

    • Find and review information more easily later
    • Make notes longer than the original
    • Avoid using headings at all
    • Confuse future you

18. 18. Using Ctrl+F to find a word on a webpage is a digital example of:

    • Skimming
    • Scanning
    • Note-taking
    • A punctuation mark

19. 19. Rewriting notes in your own words rather than copying 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. 20. A student skims a chapter, feels confident, but then does poorly on a detailed quiz about it. This suggests they should have:

    • Skimmed even faster next time
    • Followed up with a closer, full reading
    • Never taken notes
    • Ignored the headings