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Study Skills Handout
Reading Purposefully: Asking Questions of Text Without Headings

The handout below is just one of the many handouts available at the Tutoring Center. If you are having trouble with study skills of any kind, or if you have questions about study skills that are not addressed here, stop in the Student Commons Building, Room 1300, at the Normal campus and talk to a tutor. He/she can provide additional handouts, help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses and help you formulate a plan to develop effective study strategies. To find out when tutors for various courses are available in Pontiac or Lincoln contact the receptionist in Pontiac (815-842-6777) or Lincoln (217-735-1731).

Reading Purposefully: Asking Questions of Text Without Headings

Asking questions of your text before and during reading is one of the most useful techniques you can use to increase your reading efficiency. Of course, the types of questions you ask make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of this strategy. The process of asking and answering open-ended questions (questions beginning with "what," "why," or "how") is far superior to that of asking and answering close-ended questions (questions which can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no"). The mental processing of open-ended questions requires more thorough consideration of text material.

Although asking questions of your reading material will take more time during the initial reading, you will save yourself time in the long run. Your retention of text material is directly related to the amount of time you spend processing material as you read it.

Asking questions of paperbacks and articles without headings

Follow these steps to ask good questions of assigned paperbacks and text without headings:

1. Look through your notes and syllabus. Ask yourself:

• What important questions is the course asking?
• Which of these question are answered by this reading?

2. Skim through the text, reading the table of contents and the first and last paragraphs of each chapter. If you are reading an article or a chapter, read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.

3. Write some questions which the whole book, or each chapter, might answer. Make sure your questions relate to the most important questions asked by the course.

4. Read the work to answer the questions you've asked. 'When you're finished, evaluate the appropriateness of the questions you asked for the main points of the material you read. If the questions you asked of the text weren't answered, reformulate your questions so they will be answered by the text.
   

Asking questions of books having several related concepts

Use this method when you're asked to glean major ideas from a book but won't be expected to recall too many details.

1. Read the first paragraph, a randomly-chosen intermediate paragraph, and the last paragraph of each chapter.

2. Underline key words in each of the paragraphs you've read. Write an essay - type question which includes key words from all three paragraphs.

3. Read to answer that question. Evaluate the appropriateness of the answer for the question you asked. If they match, proceed with your reading; if not, reframe the question so it will be answered by the text.

Asking questions of complicated material in which you have to follow a closely reasoned argument

Examples of complicated material which requires you to follow a closely reasoned argument may include:

• readings assigned in a philosophy course
• texts with few headings and sub - headings in a political science or upper - level sociology class

1. Look for an overview of the chapter by using the method described to read books with several related concepts.

2. Mark off three or four paragraphs with a pencil. Read only the first sentence of each of these paragraphs.

3. Underline two or three key words or expressions in each of these first sentences. Write a question containing all of these key words. This question will tell you what the paragraphs are about.

4. Go back and read to answer your question(s). As you read, underline a few words which answer the question. (Do not underline whole lines or highlight passages; this just makes it harder to check the specific answers to your questions later on when it is time to review for the exam.)

5. Reformulate questions as necessary.

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Source:

Heiman, M., & Slomianko, J. (1988). Methods of Inquiry (p. 50-53). Cambridge, MA: Learning to Learn, Inc.

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