Reading closely involves more than locating information. Asking who created a text, who it is for, what it wants readers to think, and how its evidence supports its ideas can reveal how meaning is shaped.
Begin by identifying the likely purpose: to inform, explain, persuade, entertain, or do more than one of these. Then consider the audience. Which details are explained, and what knowledge does the writer seem to expect readers to have? Look for evidence such as examples, facts, or attributed views, and ask whether it supports the main point. Finally, notice tone: word choice can make a text sound measured, urgent, doubtful, or enthusiastic.
Practice passage (invented exercise): “The school garden has supplied herbs to the cooking club since September. Members say caring for the beds gives them a reason to spend time outdoors. A second garden would require volunteers and a reliable source of water.”
Ask: What is the passage mainly doing—describing an existing project or urging readers to approve another garden? Who might be its audience? What evidence supports the benefits mentioned, and what practical concern remains unresolved? Which words make the tone sound balanced rather than strongly persuasive? More than one interpretation may be reasonable when you can support it with details from the passage.
A useful reading routine is to mark a claim, find the evidence connected to it, and write one question about what is missing or uncertain. Return to the wording before settling on an interpretation. That habit helps readers distinguish what a text states from what they infer.
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