Speed Reading Skimming & Scanning Techniques Flashcards

Which scenario calls for scanning rather than skimming?

Answer: Finding a flight number on a departures board

Scanning is used when you know exactly what item of information you are looking for.

Why does knowing the format of your target (e.g., a dollar amount) speed up scanning?

Answer: Your eyes can filter for the visual pattern and skip everything else

A known visual pattern, like a dollar sign, lets the eyes reject non-matching text almost instantly.

While skimming, which sentence in a well-structured paragraph usually carries the main idea?

Answer: The topic sentence, usually the first

Most expository paragraphs state the main idea in an opening topic sentence.

A common mistake that slows down scanning is:

Answer: Stopping to read interesting but irrelevant passages

Getting drawn into unrelated content breaks the scan and wastes time.

Which eye-movement pattern is commonly recommended for skimming a full page quickly?

Answer: A zigzag or S-shaped sweep down the page

An S-pattern lets the eyes sample text across and down the page without reading every line.

Skimming typically allows reading speeds of roughly:

Answer: 700+ words per minute with partial comprehension

Skimming trades comprehension depth for speeds far above the average 200-300 wpm reading rate.

Before scanning a document for an answer, what should you do first?

Answer: Identify keywords or patterns from the question

Defining exactly what you're hunting for gives your eyes a concrete target to lock onto.