5.

Skills in Reading Comprehension

Comprehension means understanding text: spoken, written and/or visual. In other words, it is the
process of understanding what is being read or heard. It involves decoding the text or audio and
making sense of it. Reading comprehension demonstrates your ability to understand, interpret,
analyze, and infer written information.

Notice: Comprehension is an active and complex process which:

 includes the act of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning from text
 enables readers to derive meaning from text when they engage in intentional, problem
solving and thinking processes.
 is a lived and institutionally situated social, cultural and intellectual practice that is much
more than a semantic element of making meaning.

When readers read or view a text they can understand it on different levels. Deep comprehension
occurs when all levels have been considered. The following are different levels of comprehension:

5.1. Literal Comprehension

It occurs at the surface level when a reader/viewer acknowledges what they can see and hear.
The details are stated and clear for anyone to identify. Literal comprehension is often referred to
as ‘on the page’ or ‘right there’ comprehension. This is the simplest form of comprehension. In
general, literal comprehension means understanding a text, including facts, ideas, vocabulary,
events, and stated information. It involves getting specific answers to questions or information
gathering for questions that start with “what, where, when, who,” etc.

For example:

 Who took John's pen?

 What did John's do when he realized that his pen was missing?
 Where did Marry go to live at the end of the story?

Literal comprehension requires direct and explicit answers to questions extracted from a text. It
is an essential ability because it serves as a building block to the more advanced levels of
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comprehension. The literal level of comprehension requires some abilities that are necessary for
comprehending any text or statement in general, and they include:

 The ability to understand what a sentence is saying without analyzing it.

 The ability to understand the literal meaning of words.
 The ability to understand the literal meaning of sentences.

To develop the above-highlighted abilities and extract answers from any document seamlessly,
you have to develop literal comprehension skills such as key wording, skim reading, and
scanning. These skills will enable you to locate and use information more quickly. At the literal
level, you can recall the information explicitly stated in the material. The ability to quickly skim
and scan a large volume of materials and extract or recall essential information from the
document is a vital productivity skill that literal comprehension offers.

5.2. Inferential Comprehension

It requires the reader/viewer to draw on their prior knowledge of a topic and identify relevant text
clues (words, images, sounds) to make an inference. Inferential comprehension is often referred to
as ‘between the lines’ or ‘think and search’ comprehension. It is the ability to make valid inferences
from the facts and information received or found in a text. At this level, you must read between the
lines to understand the texts in the reading material. It involves understanding the facts even if not
explicitly stated in the reading material.

Inferential comprehension explores answers to questions that begin with “Why and How”
because such questions have to get their implied meaning answered or comprehended. There are
several different types of inferences, categorized as generalizations, comparisons, conclusions,
assumptions, predictions, inferences of cause and effect, etc.

For example:

 Why did Maria want to be awarded the most productive worker of the year?

 How did Maria react when she saw that the recognition of the most productive worker of
the year was awarded to Thomas?

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The answer to the first question highlighted above requires inferences based on assumptions on
why Maria wants to be the most productive worker of the year. Such inferences or conclusions
may be based on facts or opinions. The second question requires comparing how Maria acted
when she thought she would be the year’s most productive worker and how she reacted when she
lost the recognition to Thomas.

5.3. Critical Reading

Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories
that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more involved, both in effort and
understanding, in a critical reading than in a mere "skimming" of the text.

The difference between critical reading and skim reading is that when a reader "skims" the text,
superficial characteristics and information are as far as the reader goes. A critical reading gets at
"deep structure" (if there is such apart from the superficial text!), that is, logical consistency,
tone, organization, and a number of other very important sounding terms.

To be a critical reader, there are a variety of answers available to this question; here are some
suggested steps:

1. Prepare to become part of the writer's audience

After all, authors design texts for specific audiences, and becoming a member of the target
audience makes it easier to get at the author's purpose. Learn about the author, the history of the
author and the text, the author's anticipated audience; read introductions and notes.

2. Prepare to read with an open mind

Critical readers seek knowledge; they do not "rewrite" a work to suit their own personalities.
Your task as an enlightened critical reader is to read what is on the page, giving the writer a fair
chance to develop ideas and allowing yourself to reflect thoughtfully, objectively, on the text.

3. Consider the title

This may seem obvious, but the title may provide clues to the writer's attitude, goals, personal
viewpoint, or approach.

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4. Read slowly

Again, this appears obvious, but it is a factor in a "close reading." By slowing down, you will
make more connections within the text.

5. Use the dictionary and other appropriate reference works.

If there is a word in the text that is not clear or difficult to define in context: look it up. Every
word is important, and if part of the text is thick with technical terms, it is doubly important to
know how the author is using them.

6. Make notes.

Jot down marginal notes, underline and highlight, write down ideas in a notebook, do whatever
works for your own personal taste. Note for yourself the main ideas, the thesis, the author's main
points to support the theory. Writing while reading aids your memory in many ways, especially
by making a link that is unclear in the text concrete in your own writing

7. Keep a reading journal

In addition to note-taking, it is often helpful to regularly record your responses and thoughts in a
more permanent place that is yours to consult. By developing a habit of reading and writing in
conjunction, both skills will improve.

Critical reading involves using logical and rhetorical skills. Identifying the author's thesis is a
good place to start, but to grasp how the author intends to support it is a difficult task. More often
than not an author will make a claim (most commonly in the form of the thesis) and support it in
the body of the text. The support for the author's claim is in the evidence provided to suggest that
the author's intended argument is sound, or reasonably acceptable. What ties these two together
is a series of logical links that convinces the reader of the coherence of the author's argument:
this is the warrant. If the author's premise is not supportable, a critical reading will uncover the
lapses in the text that show it to be unsound

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5.3.2. Critical Reading Strategies

Inferring (‘Reading between the lines’ is the act of identifying and examining implicit messages
and biases.)

Critical Lenses (reading a text while ‘seeing’ that text through a specific concept or category–
including socioeconomic, historical, gender, race, sexuality, and other ‘concepts’ or realities; this
can help uncover bias, create new meaning previously inaccessible to the reader and, perhaps
most importantly, help the reader understand the subjectivity of reading and how much of an
impact our own biases have on our understanding of both texts we read and the world around us).

Why is Critical Reading Important?

Critical reading is important because it allows you to read and analyze a text critically, breaking
it down into its component parts and assessing its strengths and weaknesses. It also helps you
understand the author’s purpose in writing the text and how it relates to your own life.

As the process of reading texts with a focus on understanding and evaluating the arguments and
evidence presented, critical reading involves asking questions about the text, making connections
to other texts, and thinking critically about the author’s argument. Critical reading is necessary
for success in school and in life because it allows you to assess information critically and make
informed decisions.

How to Read Critically

To read critically, you only need to read with the purpose of identifying and evaluating the
‘quality’ of a text. Quality can mean different things depending on the purpose and context of a
text. Note that the quality here is different from the ‘quality’ of literature or film, or other fiction.
In these cases, specific hallmarks of quality certainly exist, but they relate to the ability to convey
a compelling fiction (e.g., tell a ‘good story’). The use of dialogue to establish characters, the use
of setting to ground conflicts, and the weaving of a unifying narrative through the course of
dozens of small events, each done with the purpose of helping the reader slowly uncover some

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truth about themselves or the world around them–these are the kinds of practices that help
determine the quality of fiction. In non-fiction form–essays, for example–quality is concerned
more with the clarity and relevance of a specific claim and the author’s ability to demonstrate
the importance and truth of that claim.

reading (and the opposite) may be related to beliefs as well as to interests and power structures.”

Types of Questions to Ask While Critical Reading is done

Critical reading is the process of analyzing a text to understand its meaning and to assess its
argument. When you critically read a text, you ask yourself questions about the author’s
purpose, the evidence they provide, and the logic of their argument.

 Who is saying what to whom? That is, who is the author, what is their message, and who
is that message for?

 Is this true? By what standard?

 Does the thesis pass the ‘So what?’ challenge. Put another way, are the claims being
made compelling and significant? Worth understanding?

 What is explicitly stated? What is implied? What is the relationship between the two?

 What are the underlying assumptions of both the text and the claims within it?

 Does the knowledge (facts, truths, information, data, etc.) in the text represent our
current best understanding of things as they are today? If not, what has changed and
why? And how does that change impact the strength and meaning of the text itself?

 What here is fact and what is opinion?

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5.3.3. Creative Reading

The process of reading beyond the text to infer and react to what is read, providing fresh and
original thoughts not clearly stated in the material, is known as creative reading. It requires
creativity, ingenuity, and originality. Creative reading differs from critical reading in that it
requires creative thinking abilities. Creative reading is a reading technique that stresses active
involvement and interpretation of a text rather than passively absorbing its content. It entails
connecting with the material on a deeper level and exploring its themes, ideas, and implications
utilizing imagination and critical thinking skills.

Visualizing scenes and characters, creating connections to personal experiences, evaluating

language and literary methods, and asking questions about the text are all examples of creative
reading techniques. It may also entail investigating various interpretations and views, as well as
taking into account the social, historical, and cultural context in which the book was created.

Creative reading is not confined to works of fiction; it can also be applied to nonfiction, poetry,
and academic writing. Reading is a useful ability that can improve both the enjoyment and
comprehension of reading, as well as the development of critical thinking, empathy, and
creativity.

What is the significance of creative reading?

Creative reading is beneficial because it helps readers to use their imagination to create new

meanings and concepts. It entails reading for suggested and inferred meanings, appreciative

reactions, and critical evaluation, all of which assist the reader to become an active participant in

the process of developing new ideas. Reading can also help you focus and be more creative.

How to improve your creative reading abilities?

Here are some pointers on how to improve creative reading abilities:

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1. Visualize scenes and characters: As you read, try to visualize the scenes and characters in

your mind. This can help bring the text to life and make it more engaging.

2. Make connections to personal experiences: Look for ways to connect the text to your own

experiences or emotions. This can help you relate to the characters and themes on a more

personal level.

3. Analyze language and literary devices: Pay attention to the language and literary devices

used in the text, such as metaphors, imagery, and symbolism. Try to think about why the

author used these devices and what they might be trying to convey.

4. Ask questions: As you read, ask yourself questions about the text. What do you think will

happen next? Why did the character make that decision? What is the author trying to say?

5. Consider different interpretations and perspectives: Try to think about the text from different

perspectives and consider different interpretations. This can help you develop critical

thinking skills and a deeper understanding of the text.

6. Experiment with different reading techniques: Try experimenting with different reading

techniques, such as speed reading or reading out loud. This can help you engage with the text

in different ways and find the approach that works best for you.

7. Practice regularly: Like any skill, creative reading takes practice. Make a habit of reading

regularly and try to incorporate some of these techniques into your reading routine. Over

time, you’ll find that your creative reading skills improve and your enjoyment of reading

deepens.

It is critical to actively and imaginatively engage with the material in order to build creative

reading skills. Visualizing scenes and people, finding personal connections, evaluating language

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and literary methods, asking questions, considering multiple interpretations and perspectives,

experimenting with different reading techniques, and practicing regularly can all help. You may

increase your comprehension and pleasure of literature, build critical thinking abilities, and

cultivate creativity and empathy by adding these tactics into your reading practice.

What is creative reading?

We can’t define creative reading without first touching upon critical reading, which forms part of
the critical-creative reading process. Critical reading is the analysis and interpretation of the text
in order to test its accuracy and validity, judging perspectives and synthesizing various topics
into a congruent whole. It’s a method which allows us to evaluate arguments and draw
conclusions.

 This is step one in the critical thinking process.

 Step two is creative reading, which is required to make use of this analysis.

Creative reading is based upon imagination, innovation and originality. It’s taking what you’ve
read and evaluated through critical reading and using creative writing to build upon it,
developing new ideas and problem-solving approaches.

Why is creative reading important?

We can’t simply stop at analysing the information we read, judging its reality and understanding
it. Although these are essential skills, we must put this information to use. Why? Because we use
information to solve the many daily problems that life presents. Creating innovative solutions
from what we read is, therefore, an essential skill.

Although many educational systems fail to This skill adequately prepare to the success we
experience in life appears directly correlated to our critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

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How to practice creative reading

Creative reading can be an essential part of reading non-fiction and self-help material. Many
people might use the genre as a form of escapism, it’s often more useful to approach it from a
problem-solving mindset. The problem-solving exercise covers the following three creative
reading activities:

i. Finding the problem and the root of the problem

ii. Planning and executing at least three alternative solutions

iii. Expressing the best solution in the form of creative texts

Finding the problem

Starting with number, one it’s important to find the root of your personal problems. Some primer
questions that might help with this are:

 What problems do you face in your life? E.g. Is it that you feel stuck or directionless,
with a lack of life purpose?
 What goals do you want to achieve? E.g. Do you want to start your own business?

The answers to these questions probably aren’t clear or straightforward and the exact solution or
steps involved to make progress are ambiguous. Writing these down ahead of time is good
practice. When you read a pertinent non-fiction book, it’s good to have these questions in mind
and even in a notebook by your side.

Planning alternative solutions

A useful technique to drill down to the essence of these issues is to keep asking ‘why’ after you
produce every question, until you can go no further, before then asking a what and how.

 Why do you feel stuck? Because I don’t like my job.

 Why don’t you like your job? Because I don’t have enough autonomy.
 Why don’t you have enough autonomy? Because of the bureaucracy in the workplace.

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The for the what and how:

 What is the solution? To secure a role with more freedom

 How can I do this? To start my own business on the side and try to develop a full-time
income from it
You can perform this exercise for each of the primary problems you identify.

Creative texts

Now it’s time to get your creative cap on. If you’ve read other articles on this site, you’ll know
that I’m a huge proponent of journaling.

I feel that long-form handwriting can unlock elements of your subconscious that can provide
valuable hidden insights.

5.4. Evaluative Comprehension

It requires the reader to move beyond the text to consider what they think and believe in relation
to the message in the text. It is at this point that readers are required to justify their opinions,
argue for a particular viewpoint, critically analyze the content and determine the position of the
author. Evaluative comprehension is often referred to as ‘beyond the text’ and includes ‘big
picture’ comprehension. Often there is no right or wrong answer but rather justification for
thinking in a particular way.

Evaluative comprehension requires a deeper understanding of the topic or event. It involves

analyzing and weighing an event or an author’s intent, opinion, language, and style of
presentation. It also includes evaluating the appropriateness of the author’s devices in achieving
his aim and then making inferences based on the fact or idea implied in the event or reading
material. For example:

 How did Maria feel about losing the recognition award to Thomas?

 If you were Maria, how would you have reacted?

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Evaluative comprehension can be applied to one’s performance at work or school, including
others, in case you hold a supervisory role. It involves making extrapolations or conclusions on
material or events. The evaluation can be positive, negative, or neutral. Evaluative
comprehension also involves understanding the implications of the evaluation. For example,
Thomas was evaluated as the most productive worker of the year, so he might understand that
the assessment is positive and take pride in it. However, if Thomas had been evaluated as
unproductive, he might have realized that the review was negative and felt embarrassed.

5.5. Appreciative Comprehension

Comprehension goes beyond merely decoding the text and making sense of it. It also involves
giving reactions and thoughts about material or events based on a deeper understanding of the
situation or text. The appreciative level of comprehension fits here as it requires reading beyond
the lines and involves recognizing the author’s philosophy and purpose of reading material. The
philosophies are not stated explicitly but are implied in the text and involve having an emotional
response and reflections on the material.

To get to the appreciative level of comprehension means that a reader fully understands the
literal meaning of the reading material, has carefully evaluated the situation and can use the ideas
gathered and apply them to real-life events or similar conditions.

For example:

 How would you feel if you were in Mike’s shoes and had lost the recognition award to
a colleague at your workplace?
 Do you think awarding the recognition to Thomas instead of Mike was appropriate?
 You can see that from the questions asked; the answers will require an appreciative
level of comprehension as the answers are not found in the text or event but from the
reader or observer.

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How to Improve Your reading Comprehension skills

Reading comprehension is a skill. And, like any skill, it can be improved with practice. It should
be noted, though, that this is an extremely difficult skill to build. You will need time and patience
to improve your comprehension abilities to any degree.

 Improve your vocabulary. Your understanding of the words being used will have a
direct effect on your ability to comprehend the text. Fluency in the language you are
reading is important, but may not always be possible.

 Do your best to build your vocabulary regularly to improve your comprehension.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the common language used in your industry or
company. Without knowledge of the common terms and phrases, you will not be able to
fully comprehend what you’re reading.

 Skim first. This is more useful for longer or more complex texts. Although, you may
skim your emails and memos to gather important information quickly. Be sure to skim
through the text first to glean any important information before reading through more
thoroughly. By skimming first, you allow yourself to gather the main points before diving
in deeper. This can help you to focus on the information you need more clearly.

 Ask questions. Before you begin reading, while you are reading, and after you are
finished, you should be asking questions about the text. This can help you to determine
the main points and find the deeper meaning.

Asking questions can help you become more invested in the text as you search for
answers. The more specific the questions you ask, the more insight you’ll gain.

 Use context clues. If you’re unable to understand exactly what a word, sentence or
phrase means, use clues from the surrounding text to help you gain clarity. Using context
clues can help you to build your vocabulary, which we already know is an important part
of reading comprehension.

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 Summarize. You can practice this throughout the text, or once you’ve finished reading.
By restating the main ideas in your own words, you will see the text in a language that
makes the most sense to you.

Not only will this help you to better understand the information being conveyed, but you
will also be better able to relay this information. You want to make sure that you are clear
in your meaning when you explain the text to coworkers or clients.

 Make inferences. You need to read between the lines. Reading comprehension is about
understanding what is being said both textually and sub-textually. Try to see the subtext
and understand what is being implied. By drawing inferences, you can make connections
and conclusions based on what you’ve read.

 Visualize. If you’re working with a complex concept or struggling to understand it,

visualization can be the difference. Create a mental image or draw a graphic organizer to
help extract meaning from the text. Visualization is an immensely helpful skill that can
have a significant impact on your ability to recall information. Visualization is strongly
linked to short-term and long-term memory.

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