Active Reading: 4 Questions That Will Improve Your Reading!

While I believe all of our blog posts are important for personal development, I believe the advice in this one can be game-changing for those of you who are avid readers.

Have you ever noticed how some people are able to read a book, article or advertisement and seemingly remember everything about it, while others have forgotten that they even read it in the first place?

A good part of the reason has to do with how they read it and odds are those who remember have used active reading to be able to retain the bulk of what they read.  In today’s post, we discuss active reading and introduce you to a 4-question process to make you a better active reader.

That’s right, by asking yourself questions and then trying to answer them as you go along, you can become an active reader.

Before we get to those 4 questions prescribed by Mortimer Adler, author of the phenomenal book How to Read a Book, let’s first discuss the difference between…

Active Reading and Passive Reading

Adler actually claims there is no such thing as passive reading:

“Completely passive reading is impossible; we cannot read with our eyes immobilized and our minds asleep. Hence, when we contrast active with passive reading, our purpose is, first, to call attention to the fact that reading can be more or less active, and second, to point out that the more active the reading the better.” ¹

Thus, the idea of being more active means being capable of a bigger range of activity in reading by exerting more effort. This requires being more demanding of yourself and the text in front of you.

Adler believes it is analogous to a baseball catcher. Similarly to how the catcher is trying to catch the baseball, the reader is trying to catch the communication being sent by the writer as best as possible. “The amount the reader “catches” will usually depend on the amount of activity he puts into the process, as well as upon the skills with which he executes the different mental acts involved.” ¹

Adler believes there are two keys to being a good active reader: “For the moment, it suffices to say that, given the same thing to read, one person reads it better than another, first, by reading it more actively, and second, by performing each of the acts involved more skillfully.” ¹

Now for the how-to part of this blog post which involves the skillful acts he refers to, which are…

The 4 Basic Questions a Reader Should Ask in Active Reading

The four questions we should ask about any book according to Adler are:

(1)  What is the book about as a whole?

This is where you need to try to figure out the main theme of the book and how the author develops it in an orderly way by subdividing it into its critical themes or topics.

(2)  What is being said in detail, and how?

Here, you need to try to identify the main ideas, arguments, and points that make up the author’s particular message.

(3)  Is the book true, in whole or in part?

This question can only come after the first two and you cannot answer it without first answering them. You need to first comprehend what is being communicated before you can determine whether it is true or not.

As Adler cautions, “When you understand a book, however, you are obligated, if you are reading seriously, to make up your own mind. Knowing the author’s mind is not enough.” ¹

(4)  What of it?

Once the book has given you information, it is now your job to ask about its significance. First, why does the author believe it is critical to know these things? Second, is it critical for you to know them?

Finally, Adler advises: “And if the book has not only informed you, but also enlightened you, it is necessary to seek further enlightenment by asking what else follows, what is further implied or suggested.” ¹

The Responsibility of the Reader

The 4 questions we just discussed concisely summarize the whole responsibility of the reader.

According to Adler if you haven’t answered the last two questions you have not done a good job of analytical reading:

“An analytical reading of a book has not been accomplished satisfactorily until you have answers to those last questions—until you have some idea of the book’s truth, in whole or part, and of its significance, if you only in your own scheme of things. The last question—What of it?—is probably the most important one in syntopical reading. Naturally, you will have to answer the first three questions before attempting the final one.” ¹

The cool thing is that these questions can be applied to anything that is worth reading – be it books, articles, advertisements, and blog posts!

Knowing the questions is not enough, we must ask them of ourselves as we read, and it is the habit of doing that is what makes a demanding reader.

Speaking of Blog Posts…

Let’s apply the 4 questions of active reading to this very blog post to see how it works. Seeing as how we are reading a blog post rather than a book, magazine or advertisement, we will replace ‘book’ with ‘blog post’ in the 4 questions below.

(1)  What is the book blog post about as a whole?

The main theme of the blog post is how to retain more of what you read by utilizing a concept called active reading.

(2)  What is being said in detail, and how?

Active reading means putting more effort and activity into your reading and asking yourself the following 4 questions and then answering them as accurately and precisely as possible. (1) What is the book about as a whole? (2) What is being said in detail, and how? (3) Is the book true, in whole or in part? (4) What of it?

(3)  Is the book blog post true, in whole or in part?

Seems pretty damn true, logical and actionable to me! (but I am biased!)

First published in 1940 with over half a million copies in print, How to Read a Book (which this blog post is based upon) is arguably the best and most successful guide aimed at the general reader that there is which gives this blog post its ethos.

(4)  What of it?

I believe it is critical for those who read to use these 4 questions as they read whatever it is that they are reading. If you are going to take the time to read, you might as well get the most out of it! By asking and answering these questions, you will most definitely retain and use more of what you read.

While I believe these questions for active reading can be a game-changer for avid readers, only you can determine if these questions are critical for you to know and use in your life!

Reading Yourself to Sleep!

Adler also gives some funny advice for reading yourself to sleep which he believes is easier to follow than those for active reading:

“Get into bed in a comfortable position, make sure the light is inadequate enough to cause a slight eyestrain, choose a book that is either terribly difficult or terribly boring—in any event, one that you do not really care whether you read or not—and you will be asleep in a few minutes.” ¹

So, whether you want to retain more of what you read or read yourself to sleep, we here at Prime Your Pump have got you covered!

On that note, time for this blogger to get into bed, turn down the lights and crack open Gulliver’s Travels…

Until next time, keep using active reading, watch out for Lilliputians and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it or Lose It:

The four questions we should ask about any book according to Adler are:

(1)  What is the book about as a whole?
(2)  What is being said in detail, and how?
(3)  Is the book true, in whole or in part?
(4)  What of it?

When to Use It

The 4 questions can be applied to anything that is worth reading – be it books, articles, advertisements, and blog posts!

What Do You Think?

Are you an active reader? Do you ask the questions above when reading? Are there any other questions you ask yourself when reading? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to us if you shared it with people you care about via any of the social media platforms below!

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References

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler