SPC Speed Reading Skimming & Scanning Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which scenario calls for scanning rather than skimming?
- Finding a flight number on a departures board (Correct answer)
- Deciding whether an article is worth reading fully
- Getting the gist of a novel's opening chapter
- Previewing a textbook before a lecture
Correct answer: Finding a flight number on a departures board
Scanning is used when you know exactly what item of information you are looking for.
Question 2: Why does knowing the format of your target (e.g., a dollar amount) speed up scanning?
- Your eyes can filter for the visual pattern and skip everything else (Correct answer)
- It forces you to subvocalize each line
- It makes you read every word more carefully
- It slows your eye fixations for accuracy
Correct 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.
Question 3: While skimming, which sentence in a well-structured paragraph usually carries the main idea?
- The topic sentence, usually the first (Correct answer)
- The third sentence
- The sentence with the most commas
- The shortest sentence
Correct answer: The topic sentence, usually the first
Most expository paragraphs state the main idea in an opening topic sentence.
Question 4: A common mistake that slows down scanning is:
- Stopping to read interesting but irrelevant passages (Correct answer)
- Moving the eyes in a zigzag pattern
- Using headings to jump between sections
- Keeping the target word in mind
Correct answer: Stopping to read interesting but irrelevant passages
Getting drawn into unrelated content breaks the scan and wastes time.
Question 5: Which eye-movement pattern is commonly recommended for skimming a full page quickly?
- A zigzag or S-shaped sweep down the page (Correct answer)
- Fixating on every single word
- Reading each line twice
- Moving from bottom to top of each column
Correct 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.
Question 6: Skimming typically allows reading speeds of roughly:
- 700+ words per minute with partial comprehension (Correct answer)
- 100 words per minute with full comprehension
- 250 words per minute with full comprehension
- 50 words per minute with high retention
Correct answer: 700+ words per minute with partial comprehension
Skimming trades comprehension depth for speeds far above the average 200-300 wpm reading rate.
Question 7: Before scanning a document for an answer, what should you do first?
- Identify keywords or patterns from the question (Correct answer)
- Read the whole document once
- Memorize the table of contents
- Count the number of paragraphs
Correct answer: Identify keywords or patterns from the question
Defining exactly what you're hunting for gives your eyes a concrete target to lock onto.
SPC Speed Reading Skimming & Scanning Techniques 3
Which scenario calls for scanning rather than skimming?