Skimming and scanning

Reading quickly to find information or get a general idea

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Try each question. If you're stuck, leave it and come back. The answer key is on the last page.

1
What is skimming? A) Reading quickly to get a general idea of the text B) Reading every word carefully C) Reading the text aloud D) Reading only the title
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2
What is scanning? A) Looking through a text to find specific information B) Reading slowly word by word C) Reading only the first paragraph D) Memorising the text
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3
Choose the reading technique: To quickly find a date in a long article, you should ___. To quickly find a date in a long article, you should ___.
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4
What is SKIMMING? A) reading every word carefully B) reading quickly to get the main idea C) looking for one specific word D) memorising the text
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5
When would you use skimming? A) Deciding if a book is interesting before reading it fully B) Looking up a name in an index C) Memorising a poem D) Translating a foreign language
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6
Choose the reading technique: To get the main idea of an article quickly, you should ___. To get the main idea of an article quickly, you should ___.
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7
When skimming, what should you focus on first? A) Headings, subheadings and the first sentence of each paragraph B) Every word in order C) The last sentence only D) The pictures and nothing else
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8
Which of these is true about skimming? A) It is faster than careful reading and gives a general idea. B) It involves reading every word slowly. C) It is only used for short texts. D) It is used to memorise long passages.
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9
Choose the right technique: Before a school test, you want to revise the main points of a chapter quickly. You should ___ first. You want to revise the main points of a chapter quickly. You should ___ first.
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10
When studying for a test, which is BEST? A) skimming only B) scanning only C) close reading and reviewing in detail D) ignoring the text
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Answer key

Skimming and scanning · for parents and teachers

1
Reading quickly to get a general idea of the text
Skimming means reading quickly to get the overall meaning, without focusing on every word.
2
Looking through a text to find specific information
Scanning means searching through a text to find specific information, like a name, date or fact.
3
scan
Scanning is the right technique for finding specific information quickly.
4
reading quickly to get the main idea
Skimming means reading quickly to get the overall idea.
5
Deciding if a book is interesting before reading it fully
Skimming helps you get a general sense quickly - useful for deciding whether to read more carefully.
6
skim
Skimming is right for getting the overall meaning of a text quickly.
7
Headings, subheadings and the first sentence of each paragraph
Headings, subheadings and topic sentences (often the first sentence) give the main ideas - perfect for skimming.
8
It is faster than careful reading and gives a general idea.
Skimming is fast reading that gives a general idea. It does not catch every detail, but it is efficient.
9
skim
Skimming gives you a quick overview, perfect for revising the main points.
10
close reading and reviewing in detail
Studying needs close reading, not just skimming or scanning.