Previewing

Before you start to play tennis, for

example, you usually do warming up.
Otherwise, you may have a lot of
difficulties. This is a good idea in reading.
Look before you read. Then it is much
easier to understand. That is what you do
when you preview.

Research shows that it is easier to

understand what you are reading if you begin
with a general idea of what the passage is
about. Previewing helps you form a general idea
of the topic in your mind.
To preview, read the first sentence of each
paragraph and the last sentence of the passage.
You should do this as quickly as possible.
Remember, you are not reading for specific
information, but for an impression of the topic.

Exercise
Directions:
Preview the following passage. Focus on
the first sentence in each paragraph and
the last sentence of the passage. Can you
identify the topic?

A black hole is a region of space

created by the total gravitational collapse
of matter. It is so intense that nothing, not
even light or radiation, can escape. In
other words, it is a one-way surface
through which matter can fall inward but
cannot emerge.
Some astronomers believe that a black
hole may be formed when a large star
collapses inward from its own weight.

So long as they are emitting heat and light

into space, stars support themselves
against their own gravitational pull with the
outward thermal pressure generated by
heat from nuclear reactions deep in their
interiors. But if a star eventually exhausts
its nuclear fuel, then its unbalanced
gravitational attraction could cause it to
contract and collapse. Furthermore, it
could begin to pull in surrounding matter,
including nearby comets and planets,
creating a black hole.

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2.
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5.
6.

There are several ways of previewing a

text book:
Read the titles and headings
Read the table of contents
Read the introduction
Look at the pictures (if there are any)
Read the blurb
Read the index

I.

Previewing using titles and headings

1. Below is a list of the contents of several books or articles,
followed by the titles or headings. Read and match them.
Titles or headings
a. Boat People Adrift in London
b. Our Trouble Kids
c. Principles of Urban Transport Systems Planning
d. Highways
Contents
a. Vietnamese refugees who arrived by sea
b. Community help for juveniles
c. How to design roads in rural areas
d. How to give people access to all urban activities

2. Which of the following articles or books would you consult

if you were studying the effects of new technology on
community life? Consider the subtitles as well as the
main titles and leadings.
a. Lost generation
Unemployed youth
b. Computers for the workers
How do they affect you?
c. Studying abroad
Problems studying in other countries
d. Television
Several advantages of having television
e. New technology
Job content and grading

II. Previewing using illustrations

Illustrations can provide an indication as to
the content of a book or article.
1. Look at the picture below and try to predict what the text
is about. What kind of text do you think it is?

2. Look at the diagrams below and try to predict what the

text accompanying these diagrams is about. Give
reasons for your answer.
(301)

Intensity (a.u.)

(310)

(600)
(200)

(110) (400)

2 degrees

(611) (321)
(411)

(002)

III. Previewing using an introduction, table of

contents, blurb, and index of a book.
Read the following introduction, table of
contents, blurb, and index of a book. Then
answer the questions.
1. What is the book about?
2. Which parts would you look at in order to know
what the book is about? Give reasons.
3. What audience was the book written for?
4. Where can you find the evidence whether the
book is a good or bad one?
5. Which part should you check if you want to
know an unknown term quickly?