ai-prompts

The Inference Excavator: Find What’s Implied But Not Stated

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C053 🧩 Inference 1 Prompt

The Inference Excavator: Find What’s Implied in Any Text

Draw conclusions from what’s not explicitly stated — identify inferences, demand evidence, and separate strong conclusions from speculation.

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5 min read Core Skill Guide 1 of 8
PR011 The Inference Excavator
Use to find what’s implied but not stated
Here’s a passage: “[paste passage]” The author doesn’t state everything directly. Help me find what’s implied: – What can I infer about [character/situation/author’s view] that isn’t explicitly stated? – What textual evidence supports each inference? – What background knowledge am I using to make these inferences? – Which inferences are strong (well-supported) vs. speculative?
Replace [character/situation/author’s view] with your focus
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Practice Inference on Real RC Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with inference-heavy questions — the exact skill this prompt builds.
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What Is Inference (And Why It Matters More Than Comprehension)

You read the words. You understand the sentences. But did you catch what the author didn’t say? That’s inference — the skill of drawing conclusions from evidence that isn’t explicitly stated.

Research consistently shows that inference ability is one of the strongest predictors of reading comprehension, especially for complex texts. On standardized tests like CAT, GMAT, and GRE, inference questions are among the hardest — not because the passages are difficult, but because the answers aren’t written down anywhere.

An inference prompt for reading like PR011 makes this invisible skill visible. Instead of guessing what’s implied, you systematically excavate inferences and evaluate each one against evidence.

How the Prompt Works

PR011 does four things that skilled readers do naturally:

1. Identifies inferences. What can you conclude that isn’t explicitly stated? AI surfaces possibilities you might miss.

2. Demands evidence. Every inference needs textual support. No hand-waving allowed.

3. Reveals background knowledge. Some inferences require outside knowledge — knowing this helps you distinguish “reasonable” from “speculative.”

4. Rates confidence. Strong inferences have direct textual support. Speculative ones require more assumptions.

💡 Pro Tip

Specify what you want to infer about. “What can I infer about the author’s attitude toward technology?” gives more useful output than “What can I infer?” alone. The bracketed placeholder is your control knob.

Evidence-Based Inferences: The Gold Standard

Not all inferences are created equal. Here’s how to evaluate what AI (or your own reading) produces:

Strong Inferences: You can point to specific words, phrases, or sentences that support the conclusion. The inference follows logically without requiring many assumptions.

Reasonable Inferences: Supported by the text’s overall tone, context, or implicit logic — but not by a single quotable line. Requires some background knowledge to connect the dots.

Speculative Inferences: Plausible, but relies heavily on assumptions or outside knowledge. Different readers might draw different conclusions.

📌 Example

Passage: “The CEO announced the restructuring with a brief statement, then declined all follow-up questions.”

Strong inference: The CEO wanted to control the narrative (evidence: “declined all follow-up questions”).

Reasonable inference: The restructuring may be controversial (evidence: brevity + refusing questions suggests sensitivity).

Speculative inference: The CEO personally disagreed with the decision (no textual support — we’re projecting).

The Background Knowledge Question

PR011’s third question — what background knowledge am I using? — is often overlooked but critically important.

Inferences depend on what you already know. When a medical journal says “the patient presented with tachycardia,” readers with medical training infer different possibilities than general readers. When a business article mentions “margin compression,” readers with finance knowledge draw different conclusions.

By making background knowledge explicit, you see when you’re bringing outside expertise to the reading — and when you might be missing context that would change interpretation.

Continue to the Bridging Inference prompt (C054) for connecting ideas between sentences, or the Read Between the Lines prompt (C055) for subtext and author attitude. Explore all inference tools in the Inference pillar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Comprehension means understanding what’s explicitly stated. Inference means drawing conclusions from what’s not stated. You can comprehend every sentence perfectly and still miss the inference — the conclusion the author expects you to reach without spelling it out.
Strong inferences have direct textual evidence — you can point to specific words or phrases that support them. Speculative inferences require assumptions beyond the text or depend heavily on background knowledge the author may not have intended.
Inferences depend on what you already know. Making background knowledge explicit reveals when you’re bringing outside expertise to the reading — and when you might be missing context that would change interpretation.
Whatever you want to understand better. For fiction: a character’s motivation, relationship, or emotional state. For non-fiction: the author’s attitude, the situation’s implications, or the subject’s significance. Specific targets produce more useful inferences.
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Related guides from the Inference pillar

C054
Bridging Inference Prompt: Connect the Dots
Find the unstated connections between consecutive sentences and paragraphs.
Read Guide
C055
Read Between the Lines: Subtext & Author Attitude
Uncover the author’s unstated attitude, audience assumptions, and what’s being avoided.
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The Best ChatGPT Prompt to Summarize an Article

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C015 📝 Summarize Articles 1 Prompt

The Best ChatGPT Prompt to Summarize an Article: 3 Formats in One

The definitive article summary prompt: choose your style, get structured output, and avoid the fluff that makes AI summaries useless.

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5 min read 3 Formats Guide 1 of 6
PR030 The Layered Summary
When you need different summary depths
Here’s a text I want to remember: “[paste text]” Create three versions: – Tweet version (under 280 characters): The absolute core – Paragraph version: Core idea + key supporting points – Teaching version: How I would explain this to someone unfamiliar with the topic
Works with ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI — paste the full article
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Practice Summarizing Daily 365 articles designed for summary practice — build the skill that makes everything else easier.
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Pick Your Style: Why One Prompt Gives Three Outputs

Most people ask AI to “summarize this article.” They get a generic paragraph that’s too long to remember and too vague to be useful. The problem isn’t the AI — it’s the prompt.

The ChatGPT prompt to summarize an article that actually works does something different: it forces structured output at three distinct depths. You don’t pick one summary — you get all three, because different situations demand different compression levels.

The tweet version (under 280 characters) captures the absolute core — what you’d remember a week later. The paragraph version adds key supporting points — what you’d need to explain the idea to someone. The teaching version flips the perspective — how you’d make a newcomer understand.

This layered approach works because each version requires the AI to think differently. Extreme compression forces prioritization. The teaching version forces clarity. Together, they catch what any single summary would miss.

The Base Prompt and How to Use It

The Layered Summary (PR030) is the foundation prompt in the Summarize Articles pillar. Copy the entire article text, paste it into ChatGPT or Claude, and let the prompt do its work.

The three outputs serve different purposes. Use the tweet version when you need to recall the core idea later, when you’re taking quick notes, or when you want to test if you truly understood. If you can’t remember the tweet version, you didn’t really absorb the article.

Use the paragraph version when you need to share the idea with others, when you’re building a reading log, or when you want the main argument with its supporting structure. This is your reference summary.

Use the teaching version when you want to actually learn the material. Research shows that explaining concepts to others — even imaginary others — cements understanding better than passive review. The teaching version forces you to articulate the idea in transferable terms.

💡 Pro Tip

After getting the three versions, try writing your own tweet summary without looking at the AI’s. Compare them. Where do they differ? That gap reveals either what you missed or what the AI overemphasized. Either way, you learn.

Five Format Variations for Different Needs

The base prompt works for most articles, but certain situations call for adjustments. Here are five variations built on the same structure:

For academic papers: Add “Focus on methodology, findings, and limitations” to the prompt. Academic summaries need to preserve the study’s structure, not just its conclusions.

For news articles: Add “Include the 5 W’s (who, what, when, where, why) in the paragraph version.” News has implicit structure; make it explicit.

For opinion pieces: Add “Distinguish the author’s claims from their evidence.” Opinion pieces often blur the line — good summaries make it visible.

For technical content: Add “Define any technical terms in the teaching version.” Technical summaries fail when they assume the reader knows jargon.

For longer documents: Use the Summary Ladder Method (C016) instead — it handles progressive compression better than the base prompt.

📌 When to Use Which Format

Quick reference: Tweet = memory anchor. Paragraph = shareable reference. Teaching = deep learning. For specialized content, add the appropriate modifier. For documents over 3,000 words, switch to the Summary Ladder.

Example Outputs: What Good Summaries Look Like

Say you summarize an article about spaced repetition. Here’s what the three versions might look like:

Tweet: “Spacing out review sessions beats cramming — memory strengthens when you retrieve information just before you’d forget it. The harder the recall, the stronger the memory.”

Paragraph: “Spaced repetition is a learning technique where you review information at increasing intervals. Unlike cramming, which creates short-term memory, spacing forces your brain to actively retrieve information — and it’s the retrieval that strengthens memory. The key is timing reviews just before forgetting occurs. This ‘desirable difficulty’ makes learning feel harder but produces more durable results.”

Teaching: “Imagine you’re trying to remember a phone number. If you repeat it 10 times in a row, you’ll remember it for a few minutes. But if you repeat it once, wait an hour, repeat again, wait a day, repeat again — you’ll remember it for months. That’s spaced repetition. The ‘space’ between reviews forces your brain to work harder to recall, and that effort is what builds lasting memory.”

Notice how each version serves a different purpose. The tweet is a memory hook. The paragraph is an accurate summary. The teaching version uses analogy and builds understanding from scratch.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake 1: Accepting the first output. AI summaries often include filler phrases like “This article discusses…” or “In conclusion…” Ask the AI to remove preamble and deliver just the content.

Mistake 2: Not verifying key claims. AI can misattribute, invent details, or miss nuance. For important content, use the AI for Reading hub’s accuracy check prompts to verify.

Mistake 3: Using the same prompt for different purposes. A bullet point summary serves different needs than a TLDR prompt result. Match your prompt to your purpose — learning, sharing, or quick reference.

Mistake 4: Summarizing without reading. Summaries are memory aids, not reading substitutes. If you haven’t read the original, you can’t evaluate whether the summary captured what matters. Read first, summarize to retain.

For more advanced summary techniques, explore the Executive Summary Prompt (C017) for decision-focused outputs, or the full Summarize Articles pillar for the complete toolkit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because it forces structured output at multiple depths. When you ask AI to ‘summarize,’ it guesses what you want and usually defaults to verbose, generic paragraphs. The layered prompt gives you three distinct outputs — each useful for different purposes — in one request.
Use the teaching version. Research shows that explaining concepts to others (even imaginary others) cements understanding better than passive review. The teaching version forces you to articulate the idea in transferable terms, which is exactly what you need for long-term retention.
Three techniques: First, specify word limits (the tweet version forces extreme compression). Second, ask for specific outputs like ‘key claims’ or ‘main argument’ rather than generic ‘summary.’ Third, follow up with ‘What did you leave out that matters?’ to catch blind spots.
Yes, but adapt your approach. For documents over 3,000 words, first summarize sections individually, then ask for a synthesis. This prevents the AI from losing detail in the compression. The Summary Ladder method (C016) is specifically designed for longer texts.
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Related guides from the Summarize Articles pillar

C016
Summary Ladder Method
Progressive compression for real retention: shrink any text from 50 words to 25 to 12 to 1.
Read Guide
C017
Executive Summary Prompt
Get decision-ready summaries: context, key findings, implications, and recommended action.
Read Guide

5 More Summary Guides Await

You’ve mastered the base prompt. Next, explore progressive compression, executive summaries, and accuracy verification.

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Summarize Articles Pillar

The Implication Extender: If True, What Else Must Be True?

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C056 🧩 Inference 1 Prompt

The Implication Extender: If True, What Else Follows?

Extend any claim to its logical consequences — explore what else must be true, what predictions follow, and what questions the claim raises.

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5 min read Logic Extension Guide 4 of 8
PR014 The Implication Extender
Use to explore logical consequences of claims
The author makes this claim: “[paste claim or key sentence]” If this is true, what else must be true? Help me see the implications: – What are 2-3 logical consequences of this claim? – What does this suggest about related topics? – What predictions could I make based on this? – What questions does this raise?
Try with bold claims, surprising statistics, or conclusions you find interesting
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Practice Extending Logic from Real Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with inference and implication questions — exactly the kind of thinking this prompt trains.
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Why Implications Matter More Than Facts

Most readers stop at comprehension. They understand what a text says, maybe even what it implies. But the most powerful readers take one more step: they ask what follows.

An implications prompt for reading trains you to extend any claim to its logical consequences. If a researcher says remote work increases productivity by 13%, what does that mean for office real estate? For commuter economies? For how we design cities? The claim itself is one data point. The implications are where insight lives.

This is the difference between reading for information and reading for understanding. Information tells you what is. Implications tell you what matters — and what might happen next.

The Prompt: How It Works

PR014 takes a single claim and unpacks it along four dimensions:

Logical Consequences: If the claim is true, what else must be true? This is the tightest form of implication — conclusions that follow directly without additional assumptions.

Related Topics: Claims don’t exist in isolation. Every assertion connects to adjacent domains. What does a claim about healthcare costs suggest about education funding, immigration policy, or retirement planning?

Predictions: If a claim is true now, what should we expect to see in the future? Predictions turn passive reading into active hypothesis-building.

Questions Raised: The best reading generates questions, not just answers. What gaps, assumptions, or conflicts does the claim surface?

💡 Pro Tip

Chain this prompt with the Inference Excavator for maximum depth. First extract what’s implied (PR011), then extend the most interesting inference to its logical consequences (PR014).

📌 Example

Claim: “Ocean temperatures have risen 1.5°C in the past decade, accelerating beyond previous models.”

Logical consequences: Marine ecosystems under more pressure than conservation plans assume. Previous climate projections may be systematically underestimating warming.

Related topics: Insurance pricing for coastal properties, agricultural planning, species migration patterns.

Predictions: Expect revised climate models within 2-3 years. Coral reef conservation timelines will need shortening.

Questions raised: What’s causing the acceleration — feedback loop or one-time correction? Are other climate indicators similarly ahead of models?

Continue exploring the Inference pillar or return to the AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bold claims, surprising statistics, and conclusions that seem important work best. Vague or obvious claims don’t have interesting implications. Look for statements that make you think “really?” — those have the most to unpack.
Inference finds what’s implied but unstated in the current text. Implication extends a stated claim to its logical consequences — what else must follow if this is true. Inference works backward to find hidden meaning; implication works forward to find future effects.
Ask: does this consequence follow necessarily from the claim, or only probably? The tighter the logical connection, the stronger the implication. If accepting the original claim but rejecting the consequence would be contradictory, you have a strong implication.
Yes — the Inference Excavator (PR011) finds implied conclusions, then the Implication Extender (PR014) traces their consequences. This two-step chain uncovers layers of meaning no single prompt reaches.
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Related guides from the Inference pillar

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The Framework Builder: Organize Ideas into Mental Models
Turn scattered concepts into structured frameworks that show relationships.
Read Guide
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The Inference Excavator
Find what’s implied but not stated — extract conclusions from evidence.
Read Guide

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You’ve learned to extend implications. Next, build mental frameworks, resolve contradictions, and synthesize themes across sources.

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The Framework Builder: Organize Ideas into Mental Models

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C057 🧩 Inference 1 Prompt

The Framework Builder: Organize Ideas into Mental Models

Turn scattered concepts into structured frameworks — find the organizing principle that connects ideas, reveals gaps, and gives you a mental model to carry forward.

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6 min read Mental Models Guide 5 of 8
PR026 The Framework Builder
Use to organize multiple ideas into a mental model
I’ve been reading about [topic] and encountered these ideas: – [Idea 1] – [Idea 2] – [Idea 3] Help me build a mental framework: – How do these ideas relate to each other? – What’s the organizing principle that connects them? – What’s missing from this framework? – Give me a simple mental model I can use to remember this structure.
List 3–7 ideas for the best framework output
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Build Frameworks from Real Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with RC questions — ideal practice material for building mental models from complex, multi-idea texts.
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Why Frameworks Help You Think, Not Just Remember

You’ve read three articles on climate policy. You remember fragments — carbon taxes, cap-and-trade, renewable subsidies, international agreements. But when someone asks “what are the main approaches to climate policy?”, your mind serves up a jumble instead of a clear answer.

This is the difference between collecting ideas and organizing them. A mental framework takes scattered concepts and arranges them into a structure that shows relationships: what causes what, what competes with what, what depends on what.

The build mental framework prompt (PR026) asks AI to do the structural work — finding the organizing principle that connects your ideas, revealing gaps you haven’t noticed, and giving you a simple model to carry forward.

How to Use the Framework Builder Prompt

The prompt works best when you feed it real ideas from your reading — not vague topics, but specific claims, concepts, or distinctions you’ve encountered:

1. Read first, list second. Don’t try to organize while reading. Just absorb. After you finish, jot down the 3–7 ideas that stood out most.

2. Be specific with each idea. Instead of “something about market forces,” write “markets can price externalities through carbon taxes.”

3. Run PR026 with your list. AI will propose relationships, an organizing principle, gaps, and a memorable model.

4. Evaluate critically. Does the organizing principle actually fit? Are the relationships AI found real, or forced?

💡 Pro Tip

After getting the initial framework, ask: “What would someone who disagrees with this organizing principle suggest instead? Give me an alternative framework using the same ideas.” Seeing two competing structures deepens understanding.

Organizing Principles: What Makes a Framework Work

The organizing principle — the logic that holds everything together — determines whether a framework actually helps you think. Common types:

Hierarchy — ideas nest inside larger categories. Useful when ideas have clear parent-child relationships.

Spectrum — ideas sit on a continuum between two poles. Useful when ideas represent degrees rather than types.

Matrix — ideas map to two dimensions. Useful for showing tradeoffs and revealing empty quadrants.

Cause-effect chain — ideas connect in a sequence. Useful when you’re tracking mechanisms.

Tension map — ideas exist in productive tension. Useful when ideas don’t fit neatly together.

⚠️ Important Limitation

AI-generated frameworks can feel complete when they’re not. Always ask: what would someone from a completely different field add? The biggest blind spots come from the boundaries of your reading, not the quality of your organizing.

The Framework Builder pairs naturally with other prompts: use the Implication Extender to explore what follows from your framework, or the Contradiction Resolver when ideas within your framework conflict.

Frequently Asked Questions

Start by listing the key ideas you’ve encountered across your reading. Then use PR026 to ask AI how those ideas relate, what organizing principle connects them, and what’s missing. The result is a structured mental model you can use to categorize new information.
A summary compresses what was said. A framework reorganizes it into a structure that shows relationships — what causes what, what depends on what, what’s in tension. Summaries help you remember content. Frameworks help you think with it.
AI is good at proposing organizing structures quickly — taxonomies, hierarchies, matrices. But only you can judge whether a framework actually matches the relationships in the source material. Use AI to generate candidates, then evaluate and refine yourself.
A good mental model passes three tests: it accounts for the major ideas without forcing them, it helps you predict where new information fits, and it reveals what’s missing. If your framework can’t accommodate a new idea without breaking, it needs refinement.
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These prompts give you the tools to organize ideas. The course gives you 365 articles — the raw material that makes your frameworks richer and battle-tested.

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The Contradiction Resolver
When two ideas seem to conflict, find out if it’s real or apparent — and what the tension reveals.
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The Implication Extender
Extend any claim to its logical consequences — what else must be true?
Read Guide

3 More Inference Guides Await

You’ve learned to build frameworks. Next, resolve contradictions, synthesize themes, and connect reading to the bigger picture.

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The Contradiction Resolver: When Two Ideas Seem to Conflict

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C058 🧩 Inference 1 Prompt

The Contradiction Resolver: When Ideas Conflict

When two ideas seem to contradict, find out if it’s real or apparent — and what the tension reveals about the complexity of the topic.

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6 min read Nuance Finder Guide 6 of 8
PR028 The Contradiction Resolver
Use when two ideas seem to conflict
I’ve encountered two seemingly contradictory ideas: Idea 1: [state it] Idea 2: [state it] Help me think through this: – Is this a real contradiction or only apparent? – Under what conditions might both be true? – What am I missing that would resolve this? – What does this tension reveal about the complexity of the topic?
State each idea in one clear sentence for the best analysis
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Practice Resolving Contradictions in Real Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with RC questions that test inference, nuance detection, and argument analysis.
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Why Contradictions Are Where the Real Learning Happens

You’re reading two sources on the same topic. One says remote work boosts productivity. The other says it kills collaboration. Both cite studies. Both sound credible. Now what?

Most readers do one of two things when they hit a contradiction: they pick a side (usually the one that matches what they already believe) or they throw up their hands and decide the topic is “complicated.” Neither response gets you anywhere.

The ability to resolve contradictions in reading is what separates passive consumers of information from people who actually understand the subjects they read about. Contradictions aren’t obstacles — they’re signals that the topic has more depth than any single source can capture.

Real vs Apparent Contradictions: The Critical Distinction

Here’s the insight that changes how you read: most contradictions aren’t contradictions at all. They’re apparent contradictions — ideas that seem to conflict because of differences in scope, context, time frame, or level of analysis.

Four common patterns behind apparent contradictions:

1. Scope difference. “Exercise reduces anxiety” and “Exercise increases cortisol” aren’t contradictory. One describes long-term effects, the other describes what happens during the workout.

2. Level confusion. “Diversity improves team performance” and “Diverse teams have more conflict” operate at different levels. Performance is an outcome; conflict is a process variable.

3. Context dependency. “Smaller class sizes improve learning” holds in some contexts but not others. The contradiction disappears once you specify conditions.

4. Time frame mismatch. “This policy helped the economy” and “This policy hurt the economy” can both be true if one measures short-term and the other measures long-term.

💡 Pro Tip

After running the Contradiction Resolver, try this follow-up: “Now give me one sentence that captures the nuanced truth — incorporating what’s valid in both ideas.” That single sentence often becomes the most useful takeaway from your entire reading session.

📌 Example

You read that “meditation reduces stress” (Source A) and “mindfulness can increase anxiety in some people” (Source B).

Resolution: This is an apparent contradiction driven by context dependency. Meditation generally reduces stress in healthy individuals, but certain practices can surface suppressed anxiety in people with trauma histories.

Nuanced truth: Meditation is beneficial for most, but the type and context matter enormously.

The Contradiction Resolver pairs naturally with the Framework Builder — when ideas within your framework conflict, use PR028 to resolve them. Continue exploring the Inference pillar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Real contradictions mean one claim must be false — they can’t both be true under any circumstances. Apparent contradictions seem to conflict but actually operate at different scopes, levels, contexts, or time frames. Most contradictions you encounter in reading are apparent, not real.
PR028 checks each possibility: scope difference, level confusion, context dependency, and time frame mismatch. If none of these resolve the conflict, you may have a genuine contradiction — which is itself valuable information about where the evidence is contested.
Genuine contradictions are interesting. They point to gaps in evidence, methodology differences, or fundamental disagreements in a field. Don’t ignore them — note what would be needed to resolve them. That’s often the most cutting-edge area of any topic.
State each idea in one clear sentence. Be specific about what each source actually claims. Vague descriptions produce vague analysis. Include the source context if it helps — where you read each claim, what evidence was cited.
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365 articles with expert analysis train you to resolve contradictions automatically — seeing the conditions, contexts, and levels where seemingly conflicting ideas both hold.

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Find common threads across multiple sources — consensus, debate, and your own takeaway.
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Organize scattered ideas into structured mental models.
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You’ve learned to resolve contradictions. Next, synthesize themes across sources and connect your reading to the bigger picture.

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The Best ‘Teach, Don’t Summarize’ Prompt (and 7 Variations)

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C002 📋 AI Reading Prompts 1 Prompt

The Best ‘Teach, Don’t Summarize’ Prompt

Why ‘teach me’ beats ‘summarize’: the prompt that transforms AI from a text compressor into a patient tutor — plus 7 variations for different learning styles.

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6 min read 1 Core Prompt + 7 Variations Guide 2 of 8
PR033 The “Explain It Back” Checker
Use to verify your understanding
I’m going to explain what I just read. Evaluate my explanation: My explanation: [your attempt] Tell me: – What I got right – What I got wrong or oversimplified – What important points I missed – What I seem to understand well vs. superficially
Write your explanation first, then let AI grade it
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Test Your Understanding on Real Articles The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with comprehension questions — perfect for practicing the teach-back method.
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Why Teaching Beats Summaries

Here’s a scenario you know well: you read an article, ask AI to summarize it, skim the summary, and move on. An hour later, you can’t remember a thing. The summary gave you the gist, but the gist evaporated.

The problem isn’t AI. It’s the prompt. “Summarize this” tells AI to compress information. But compression doesn’t equal comprehension. You can read a perfect summary without understanding the underlying ideas at all.

The teach don’t summarize prompt flips this dynamic. Instead of asking AI to explain the text to you, you explain it to AI — and AI tells you what you got right, wrong, and missed. This is the difference between passive consumption and active processing.

Learning science calls this the generation effect: producing information from memory strengthens retention more than passively receiving it. When you try to explain something, you discover what you actually understand versus what you only think you understand.

The Base Prompt: Explain It Back

The core prompt above (PR033) is deceptively simple. You write your explanation first — without looking at the text — then paste it into the prompt. AI evaluates your attempt against what the text actually said.

This exposes the gap between recognition and recall. Recognition means seeing something and thinking “yes, I knew that.” Recall means producing it from memory without cues. Most people confuse the two and overestimate their understanding.

The prompt forces recall. You can’t fake it. If you can only repeat phrases from the text but can’t rephrase concepts in your own words, the AI will notice. If you missed the author’s main point entirely, that’ll surface too.

💡 Pro Tip

Don’t peek at the original text while writing your explanation. The whole point is to test what stuck in your memory. If you need to look things up, that tells you something important: you didn’t actually learn it yet.

7 Variations for Different Learning Styles

The base prompt works for general comprehension checks. But different situations call for different approaches. Here are seven variations you can adapt:

1. The Feynman Variation

“I’m going to explain this concept as if teaching a 12-year-old. Tell me where my explanation would confuse them or where I’m using jargon I haven’t defined.”

2. The Connection Variation

“I’m going to explain how this relates to [another concept I know]. Tell me if my analogy is accurate or if it breaks down at certain points.”

3. The Application Variation

“I’m going to explain how I would apply this concept to [specific situation]. Tell me if I’m applying it correctly or misunderstanding how it works.”

4. The Debate Variation

“I’m going to argue against the author’s main point. Tell me if I’m addressing their actual argument or attacking a strawman.”

5. The Prediction Variation

“Based on what I read, here’s what I predict about [related topic]. Tell me if my prediction follows logically from the text or if I’m overreaching.”

6. The Summary + Gaps Variation

“Here’s my summary. But more importantly, tell me what the author would say I’m missing — not just facts, but nuances and qualifications.”

7. The Teach-Back Chain

“I explained this to you. Now quiz me with 3 questions to test whether my understanding is solid or superficial. Make the questions progressively harder.”

Each variation targets a different failure mode. The Feynman variation catches jargon-hiding. The Connection variation prevents false analogies. The Debate variation ensures you understood the actual argument before criticizing it.

When to Use Which Variation

Match the variation to your reading goal:

For conceptual understanding, use the base prompt or the Feynman variation. These check whether you grasp the core ideas well enough to explain them simply.

For critical reading, use the Debate variation. This ensures you’re engaging with the author’s actual claims rather than a version you invented. Pair it with the Socratic Reading Prompts for deeper analysis.

For practical application, use the Application or Prediction variations. These test whether you can transfer knowledge to new contexts — the gold standard for real learning.

For exam preparation, use the Teach-Back Chain. This simulates test conditions and reveals gaps before the actual exam. Combine it with prompts from our article understanding guide for comprehensive prep.

📌 The Meta-Skill

The real value of teach-back prompts isn’t just better comprehension of individual texts. It’s developing the habit of self-testing. Once you internalize “can I explain this without looking?” as your default question, your reading retention improves across the board — with or without AI.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Looking at the text while explaining. This defeats the purpose. You’re testing recall, not recognition. Close the article before writing your explanation.

Mistake 2: Explaining too briefly. A one-sentence explanation won’t reveal much about your understanding. Aim for a paragraph at minimum — enough detail for AI to assess nuance.

Mistake 3: Ignoring the feedback. If AI says you missed something, don’t just acknowledge it and move on. Go back to the text, find what you missed, and try explaining again.

Mistake 4: Only using this for difficult texts. The teach-back method works for everything — including content you think you already understand. Often, “easy” articles reveal surprising gaps when you try to explain them.

The AI Reading Prompts Library contains more tools for different reading challenges. But this one — the simple act of explaining before asking — might be the highest-leverage change you can make to how you read with AI.

Ready to try it? Pick something you read recently. Write your explanation. Paste it into the prompt. See what you actually learned — and what you only thought you did.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summarizing compresses information into fewer words — you get the gist but not understanding. Teaching forces you to actively process and explain the material, which builds durable comprehension. The ‘teach don’t summarize’ approach flips AI from a text compressor into a tutor that checks your actual understanding.
Try explaining it without looking at the text. If you can only repeat phrases but not rephrase concepts, your understanding is superficial. The Explain It Back prompt (PR033) tests this by having AI evaluate your explanation for accuracy, gaps, and oversimplifications.
Use the Explain It Back prompt: write your explanation of what you read, then ask AI to evaluate what you got right, wrong, and missed. This reveals the difference between recognizing information and truly understanding it.
Yes. The teach-back method works for articles, textbooks, research papers, and technical documentation. Adjust your explanation depth based on complexity — simple texts need brief explanations, dense material needs detailed breakdowns.
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25 Copy-Paste Prompts to Understand Any Article
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The Assumption Hunter: Uncover Hidden Premises

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C045 ⚖️ Critical Reading 1 Prompt

The Assumption Hunter: Uncover Hidden Premises

Find what arguments take for granted: factual assumptions you can verify, value assumptions that explain disagreement, and logical leaps that hide in plain sight.

Copy Prompt ↓ ← Back to Pillar
6 min read Deep Dive Guide 5 of 5
PR020 The Assumption Hunter
Use to uncover hidden premises in arguments
Here’s an argument or claim: “[paste passage]” Find the hidden foundations: – What must I already believe for this argument to be persuasive? – What evidence is presented vs. assumed? – What alternative explanations does the author not consider? – What group of readers would find this convincing, and who wouldn’t? Why?
The “who wouldn’t find this convincing” question reveals assumptions fastest
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What Are Assumptions in Arguments?

An assumption is what an argument treats as true without proving or stating. It’s the foundation the argument builds on — invisible but essential. If the foundation is weak, the whole structure is unstable, no matter how elegant the reasoning above it.

Consider: “We should invest more in public transit because it reduces traffic congestion.” This sounds reasonable. But it assumes congestion is a problem worth solving, that transit will actually be used if built, that the cost-benefit ratio favors transit over alternatives, and that the speaker’s definition of “investment” matches yours. None of these are defended — they’re assumed.

This doesn’t make the argument wrong. But it explains why someone who doesn’t share these assumptions won’t be persuaded, even if the logic is flawless. Arguments fail at the assumption level more often than at the logic level.

The skill to find assumptions in argument is what separates readers who get convinced from readers who understand why they’re being asked to be convinced.

Three Types of Hidden Premises

Assumptions come in three flavors. Recognizing the type helps you decide what to do about it.

Factual assumptions are unstated claims about reality. “Electric vehicles reduce emissions” assumes the electricity grid is cleaner than gasoline — which depends on where you live. Factual assumptions can be verified: look up the data.

Value assumptions are beliefs about what matters or is good. “We should prioritize economic growth” assumes economic growth is the right goal. Value assumptions can’t be verified — you either share them or you don’t. But making them explicit lets you disagree consciously rather than accidentally.

Logical assumptions are reasoning steps the argument skips. “Crime rates dropped after we hired more police, so more police reduce crime” assumes the correlation is causation. Logical assumptions hide in the gaps between evidence and conclusion.

Key Insight

Most disagreements aren’t about facts or logic — they’re about values. When you surface value assumptions, you understand why reasonable people disagree. The argument “isn’t working” on someone not because they’re irrational, but because they don’t share a foundational premise.

The Prompt in Action: Examples

Let’s run PR020 on a sample argument: “Companies should require employees to return to the office because in-person collaboration drives innovation.”

What must I believe for this to be persuasive? That innovation is primarily driven by in-person interaction. That the kind of collaboration that happens in offices can’t be replicated remotely. That innovation is the primary metric for evaluating work arrangements.

What evidence is presented vs. assumed? Presented: none, actually — this is assertion, not evidence. Assumed: that in-person work correlates with innovation, that current remote innovation rates are insufficient.

Alternative explanations not considered? Innovation might be driven by hiring practices, incentive structures, or project selection — not location. Remote work might enable different kinds of innovation.

Who finds this convincing, who doesn’t? Convincing to: executives who built careers on in-office work, people who associate physical presence with productivity. Unconvincing to: people whose best work happens in isolation, those with data showing remote innovation success.

Follow-Up: What to Do with Assumptions

For factual assumptions: Verify. If the argument assumes X is true, check whether X is true. Use the Fact-Check Mode guide.

For value assumptions: Decide consciously. You don’t have to reject arguments whose values you don’t share, but you should know you’re adopting their values when you accept their conclusions.

For logical assumptions: Examine the leap. Is the jump from evidence to conclusion justified? Are there alternative explanations?

Identify load-bearing assumptions. Not all assumptions matter equally. Some are peripheral — if wrong, the argument weakens but survives. Others are load-bearing — if wrong, the entire argument collapses. Focus your verification energy on the latter.

💡 Pro Tip

After AI identifies assumptions, ask: “Which of these assumptions, if false, would completely invalidate the main conclusion?” This prioritization saves you from researching everything while still catching the critical gaps.

Connecting to Your Critical Reading Toolkit

The Assumption Hunter works best in combination with other Critical Reading prompts:

Before assumption hunting: Use the Argument Mapper (PR007) to see the explicit structure first.

For deeper context: The What’s Missing prompt identifies gaps that may hide additional assumptions.

For source comparison: The Compare Two Articles guide helps you see which assumptions are shared across sources and which are contested.

You’ve completed the Critical Reading pillar! Return to the AI for Reading hub to explore other pillars.

Frequently Asked Questions

An assumption is something the argument treats as true without proving or stating it. It’s what you must already believe for the argument to work. For example, “We should invest in education because it increases economic productivity” assumes that economic productivity is the right measure of education’s value — a claim that isn’t defended but required.
Three types: Factual assumptions (claims about reality you can verify), value assumptions (beliefs about what matters that you either share or don’t), and logical assumptions (reasoning steps the argument skips). Most disagreements stem from unshared value assumptions, not facts or logic.
Focus on load-bearing assumptions — those that, if false, would collapse the entire argument. Ask: “If this assumption were wrong, would the conclusion still hold?” Peripheral assumptions are interesting but less urgent.
This question reveals assumptions faster than direct analysis. People who aren’t convinced usually lack a shared assumption with the author. Identifying who would reject the argument and why quickly surfaces the foundational premises that group doesn’t accept.
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Textbook Chapter Navigator: Extract What You Need to Know

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C038 📋 AI Reading Prompts 1 Prompt

Textbook Chapter Navigator: Extract What You Need to Know

Study smarter: identify key concepts vs. detail, structure notes, and know what you should be able to explain.

5 min read Study Strategy Genre-Specific
PR045 Textbook Chapter Navigator
When studying from textbooks
I’m reading a textbook chapter on [topic]. Here’s the chapter outline or introduction: “[paste]” Help me approach this efficiently: – What are the key concepts I must understand? – What’s foundational vs. what’s detail I can revisit later? – What prior knowledge do I need to have? – How should I structure my notes? – What should I be able to do/explain after reading this?
Paste intro, TOC, or learning objectives — not the full chapter
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Foundational vs Detail

Textbooks contain two kinds of content: foundational concepts you must understand to proceed, and supporting details you can look up later. Most students treat everything equally — a mistake that wastes time and dilutes focus.

The textbook reading strategy that works is prioritization. Before diving into page one, ask: what concepts must I master to understand the rest? What details exist just for reference?

PR045 helps you read textbook efficiently AI-assisted. Paste the chapter outline, introduction, or learning objectives — not the full text. AI identifies the core concepts and separates them from the supporting material.

This isn’t about skipping content. It’s about reading with intention. You’ll read the foundational sections carefully, taking notes. You’ll skim the detail sections, knowing you can return when needed.

Key Concepts Identification

Every chapter has a few ideas everything else depends on. Miss these, and the rest becomes gibberish. Nail them, and the details click into place.

PR045 asks: “What are the key concepts I must understand?” This forces AI to distinguish between the conceptual backbone and the illustrative material. A chapter on thermodynamics might have hundreds of formulas, but only a handful of core principles drive them all.

Prior knowledge check: AI also identifies what you need to know before this chapter makes sense. If you’re missing prerequisites, now’s the time to fill gaps — not halfway through when you’re confused.

💡 Pro Tip

If AI identifies prerequisites you don’t have, use the SQ3R Method (C007) to quickly survey and question the prerequisite material before returning to your current chapter.

Note Structure

How you organize notes determines how well you remember. Different content demands different structures.

PR045 asks: “How should I structure my notes?” Based on the chapter content, AI recommends a note format. A chapter heavy on processes might need flowcharts. A chapter comparing theories might need a comparison table. A chapter building a single argument might need Cornell Notes — see Turn Any Article into Cornell Notes (C021).

The goal is notes that aid retrieval, not transcription that aids nothing. Your notes should answer questions, not document everything.

📌 Success Criteria

PR045’s final question: “What should I be able to do/explain after reading this?” This creates success criteria BEFORE you read. After finishing, test yourself against these criteria. If you can’t meet them, you know exactly what to review.

The Prompt in Practice

The workflow is simple:

1. Copy chapter preview content: Table of contents, introduction, learning objectives, or section headings. Don’t paste the full chapter — AI needs structure, not content.

2. Run PR045: Get your reading plan with prioritized concepts, prerequisite check, recommended note structure, and success criteria.

3. Read with the plan: Deep read foundational sections. Strategic skim detail sections. Take notes in the recommended format.

4. Self-test: After reading, check yourself against the success criteria. Address gaps immediately.

This prompt is part of the AI Reading Prompts Library. For more note-taking tools, see the Turn Reading into Notes pillar. For the complete system, return to AI for Reading.

Frequently Asked Questions

Reading without a plan means treating all content equally. This prompt creates a strategic reading plan: what to focus on, what to skim, what prior knowledge you need, and what success looks like. You read less but retain more.
No — paste just the chapter outline, table of contents, introduction, or learning objectives. These preview sections contain the structure AI needs to create your reading plan. You’ll read the full chapter yourself with this plan in hand.
No. This prompt creates a reading PLAN, not a summary. You still need to read and engage with the material. The prompt ensures you read strategically rather than passively — knowing what matters, what to note, and what to skip.
Paste the introduction, section headings, or first paragraph of each section. AI can infer the structure from any preview content. Even just section titles give enough signal to create a reading plan.
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AI Reading Prompts Library

Summary Ladder Method: 50 to 25 to 12 to 1 Word

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C016 📝 Summarize Articles 1 Prompt

Summary Ladder Method: 50 to 25 to 12 to 1 Word

Progressive compression for real retention: shrink any text from 50 words to 25 to 12 to 1, each layer cementing memory.

5 min read 4-Step Method Guide 2 of 6
PR030 The Summary Ladder
For progressive compression and retention
Here’s a text I want to remember: “[paste text]” Create a summary ladder with EXACT word counts: – 50 words: Capture all key points – 25 words: Core argument + main evidence – 12 words: Single sentence, essential insight only – 1 word: The concept I should anchor to Show your word count after each level.
Exact word counts are the point — the constraint creates the learning
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Why Progressive Compression Works

Most summaries fail at memory. You read an article, ask AI for a summary, glance at the output, and forget everything within 24 hours. The problem isn’t the summary — it’s the passivity. You didn’t do anything with the information.

The summary ladder method fixes this by forcing active engagement at each level. When you compress from 50 words to 25, you’re making decisions: What’s essential? What’s supporting detail? What can go? Each decision strengthens your understanding of what the text actually says.

By the time you reach one word, you’ve processed the same content four times — each time through a harder constraint. That repeated processing, not the final output, is what creates lasting memory. The ladder is a compression exercise disguised as a summary.

The Prompt Template

The base summary prompt (C015) gives you flexible formats. The ladder method adds strict word counts that turn summarization into a cognitive workout:

50 words: This is your comprehensive summary. It should capture the main argument, key evidence, and any significant qualifications. At 50 words, you can still include nuance. Think of this as “everything important, nothing extra.”

25 words: Now you cut in half. The supporting examples go first. Then the qualifications. What survives? The core claim and its strongest support. You’re answering: “If someone remembers only this, would they understand the text?”

12 words: A single sentence. No room for evidence — just the insight. This is what you’d tell someone in an elevator. Many people find this the hardest step because they realize they’re not sure what the single core idea actually is.

1 word: The anchor concept. This isn’t the “topic” — it’s the word that, when you see it later, triggers recall of the whole ladder. Often it’s an unexpected choice. “Constraints” might anchor an article about why limitations boost creativity.

💡 Pro Tip

Ask AI to show the word count after each level. If it gives you 27 words instead of 25, ask it to cut 2. The constraint is the method — don’t let approximate counts weaken the exercise.

Use Cases for the Ladder

Study and retention: After reading a chapter or article, create a ladder. The process itself is review. The 1-word anchor becomes your retrieval cue for spaced repetition — see the word, try to reconstruct the 12, then 25, then 50.

Meeting prep: Read a report, create a ladder. The 50-word version is your talking points. The 12-word version is your one-liner if someone asks “what’s the takeaway?” The 1-word is how you’ll file this mentally.

Writing and thinking: Struggling to articulate your own argument? Create a ladder of your draft. If you can’t compress your 2,000-word piece to 50 to 25 to 12 to 1, your argument might not be clear enough yet.

Research synthesis: Read five papers on a topic. Create a ladder for each. Now compare the 12-word versions side by side. The synthesis reveals itself — where do they agree, where do they diverge?

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Treating word counts as approximate. “About 25 words” defeats the purpose. The difficulty of hitting exactly 25 is what forces precision. If AI gives you 28, don’t accept it — ask for exactly 25.

Mistake 2: Choosing the topic as the 1-word. If the article is about climate change, “climate” isn’t a useful anchor. Look for the insight, the surprising turn, the action implied. “Feedback” or “tipping” or “irreversibility” might be better anchors.

Mistake 3: Skipping levels. Going straight from 50 to 1 misses the point. The intermediate steps (25 and 12) are where you make the hardest decisions. Each cut teaches you something about priority.

Mistake 4: Never reconstructing. The ladder is for recall, not just creation. After a day, look at your 1-word anchor and try to rebuild the ladder from memory. That’s when you discover what you actually retained.

📌 Combine with Spaced Recall

The ladder creates material for the Spaced Recall System (C025). Use your 1-word anchors as retrieval cues in your review schedule. The ladder builds the memory; spaced recall maintains it.

For more summary formats and approaches, return to the Summarize Articles pillar or explore the full AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Each compression forces you to decide what matters most. This active decision-making creates stronger memory traces than passive reading. By the time you reach one word, you’ve processed the core idea four times through increasingly difficult constraints.
The constraint is the point. Hitting exactly 50, 25, and 12 words forces harder choices than “about 50.” If AI gives you 52 words, ask it to cut 2. The struggle to fit the constraint is what builds understanding.
A short summary skips directly to the compressed version. The ladder method makes you see what gets cut at each level — that’s where the learning happens. You understand what’s essential by watching what survives each round of compression.
The single word becomes your retrieval cue. When you see that word later, it should trigger recall of the 12-word version, which triggers the 25, which triggers the 50. It’s a compressed memory chain you can expand on demand.
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Summarize Articles Pillar

Summarize for Different Purposes: Learn, Decide, or Share

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C020 📝 Summarize Articles 2 Prompts

Summarize for Different Purposes: Learn, Decide, or Share

Three summary templates for three purposes: deep learning, quick decisions, and shareable highlights.

5 min read 3 Purpose Modes Guide 6 of 6
PR056 The Multi-Format Summary
All three purposes in one output
Here’s an article I need to summarize: “[paste article]” Create three different summaries based on purpose: **For Learning:** – Key concepts I should understand – How this connects to foundational knowledge – What I should be able to explain after reading **For Decision-Making:** – Bottom line: what action does this suggest? – Key data points that matter – Risks or uncertainties to consider **For Sharing:** – One compelling hook – The “why should anyone care” angle – Quotable insight or statistic
Use when you’re not sure which summary type you’ll need
PR030 The Layered Summary
Depth-based compression levels
Here’s a text I want to remember: “[paste text]” Create three versions: – Tweet version (under 280 characters): The absolute core – Paragraph version: Core idea + key supporting points – Teaching version: How I would explain this to someone unfamiliar with the topic
Use when you know you want to learn but need different depths
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Three Purpose Modes

Every summary serves a purpose, and different purposes require different outputs. A summary for learning emphasizes concepts and connections — things you’ll need to understand and remember. A summary for decision-making emphasizes action items, data points, and risks — things that affect what you’ll do next. A summary for sharing emphasizes hooks and quotable moments — things that make others care.

Most people use one generic summary approach for all three situations. That’s why their summaries feel either too academic, too shallow, or too boring depending on context. Purpose-specific prompts fix this by telling AI exactly what kind of output you need.

The base summary prompt (C015) gives you a solid default. These prompts add purpose-awareness that transforms generic summaries into targeted tools.

The Templates: What Each Delivers

For Learning

When you’re reading to understand and remember, you need a summary that emphasizes: key concepts (what ideas must you grasp?), connections to existing knowledge (how does this fit what you already know?), and explainability (what should you be able to teach others after reading?).

A learning summary is longer than a decision summary. It includes context, definitions, and relationships between ideas. It might reference foundational concepts you should review. The goal is comprehension depth, not action speed.

For Decision-Making

When you’re reading to decide or act, you need a summary that emphasizes: the bottom line (what does this suggest you do?), supporting data (what numbers or evidence matter?), and risks or uncertainties (what could go wrong if you act on this?).

A decision summary is shorter and more direct. It might skip interesting background that doesn’t affect your choice. It prioritizes relevance to action over intellectual completeness. The Executive Summary Prompt (C017) goes deeper on this mode.

For Sharing

When you’re reading to share with others, you need a summary that emphasizes: a compelling hook (why would anyone click?), the “so what” angle (why should they care?), and quotable highlights (what phrase or statistic will they remember?).

A sharing summary is the most compressed but also the most crafted. It’s not about your understanding — it’s about capturing attention and transferring one key insight. Social media posts, email forwards, and conversation starters all need this mode.

💡 Pro Tip

PR056 gives you all three in one output — useful when you’re not sure which you’ll need. If you know your purpose, you can modify the prompt to focus on just that section for a more detailed single-purpose output.

When to Choose Which

Choose learning mode when: You’re studying for exams, building expertise in a new area, reading something you’ll need to reference later, or trying to understand a complex topic deeply. Learning summaries are for your own comprehension.

Choose decision mode when: You’re reviewing reports before a meeting, researching options for a purchase or strategy, scanning news for actionable intelligence, or preparing to advise someone. Decision summaries are for action.

Choose sharing mode when: You’ll forward this to colleagues, post about it on social media, mention it in conversation, or write a newsletter. Sharing summaries are for others’ attention.

Not sure? Use PR056 to get all three, then pick the one that fits your actual use case. You’ll often discover your purpose once you see the options.

📌 Combining with Depth

PR030 (Layered Summary) organizes by compression level: tweet → paragraph → teaching version. PR056 organizes by purpose. You can combine them — ask for a “decision summary at tweet length” or “learning summary at teaching depth.” Purpose and depth are independent dimensions.

Customizing for Your Context

These templates are starting points. Add your specific context to get better results:

“Summarize for decision-making, specifically whether we should adopt this technology for our customer service team.” Now AI knows exactly what decision you’re facing.

“Summarize for sharing with my LinkedIn audience of HR professionals.” Now AI knows who you’re sharing with and can calibrate the hook accordingly.

“Summarize for learning, with emphasis on how this connects to behavioral economics principles I already understand.” Now AI can build on your existing knowledge.

For the complete summary toolkit, return to the Summarize Articles pillar or explore the full AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

A summary optimized for learning emphasizes concepts and connections. A summary for decisions emphasizes action items and risks. A summary for sharing emphasizes hooks and quotable moments. Same article, completely different outputs depending on what you need.
You can, but you’ll compromise on each. A learning summary is too detailed for quick sharing. A decision summary misses the conceptual depth for real learning. Purpose-specific summaries take slightly more time but deliver much better results for each use case.
PR056 gives you all three purpose-based summaries in one output — ideal when you’re not sure which you’ll need. PR030 gives you depth-based versions (tweet to teaching) — better when you know you want to learn but need different compression levels.
Adapt the template. The key is being explicit about your purpose and what output you need. “Summarize for presenting to executives” or “summarize for writing a follow-up article” — state the purpose, describe the ideal output, and AI can adapt.
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Related guides from the Summarize Articles pillar

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The Best ChatGPT Prompt to Summarize an Article
The definitive base summary prompt — start here before adding purpose-specific variations.
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Deep dive on decision-mode summaries — context, findings, implications, action.
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Summarize Articles Pillar

Steel Man and Weak Point Finder: Test Any Argument

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C046 ⚖️ Critical Reading 1 Prompt

Steel Man and Weak Point Finder

Fair evaluation: first strengthen the argument to its best form, then systematically find where it breaks.

5 min read Argument Analysis Guide 8 of 8
PR021 The Steel Man / Weak Point Finder
Use to fairly evaluate an argument’s strength
Here’s an argument: “[paste passage]” First, steel man it: What’s the strongest, most charitable version of this argument? Then stress-test it: – Where is the logic weakest? – What counter-evidence might exist? – What would need to be true for this argument to fail?
Paste the full argument text — not just a summary
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What Is Steel Manning (and Why It Matters)

You’ve probably heard of a straw man argument — attacking a weak or distorted version of someone’s position. It’s intellectually lazy, and it lets you “win” debates you never really had.

A steel man argument is the opposite. It means presenting the strongest possible version of an argument — even one you disagree with — before you critique it. You give your opponent’s position its best shot, then see if it still fails.

This isn’t about being nice. It’s about being rigorous. If you can only defeat the weakest version of an opposing view, you haven’t really defeated it. You’ve just found the easy target. The steel man argument prompt forces you to engage with substance, not shadows.

How the Prompt Works

The PR021 prompt above does two things in sequence:

First, it builds the steel man. AI restates the argument in its most compelling, coherent, and defensible form. It fills in logical gaps the author left implicit. It assumes the author’s best intentions and strongest evidence.

Then, it stress-tests the steel man. Even the strongest version of an argument has vulnerabilities — logical weak points, missing evidence, conditions under which it would fail. AI identifies these systematically.

The result is a two-part analysis: the best case for the argument, and the best case against it. You get intellectual ammunition for both sides.

⚡ Pro Tip

After running the steel man prompt, ask this follow-up: “Now, which of these weak points is most likely to be fatal to the argument, and which are manageable objections the author could address?” This forces AI to rank the weaknesses by severity.

When to Use This Prompt

The steel man approach is especially powerful in three situations:

When you disagree with an argument. Before rejecting a position, make sure you understand it at its best. You might discover the position is stronger than you thought — or find a more precise point of disagreement.

When evaluating your own arguments. Flip the lens. Apply the steel man treatment to an opposing view of your position. What’s the strongest case against what you believe? This is how you find your own blind spots.

When reading persuasive content. Op-eds, essays, and opinion pieces often present arguments in their most persuasive (not necessarily strongest) form. Steel manning reveals whether the argument holds up when you strip away the rhetoric.

You can pair this prompt with the Assumption Hunter to uncover hidden premises before stress-testing, or with the Argument Map Prompt to visualize the structure before you rebuild it.

Understanding the Weak Point Analysis

The second half of the prompt — the stress test — generates three types of vulnerabilities:

Logical weaknesses: Where does the reasoning not hold? Are there leaps in logic, false dichotomies, or conclusions that don’t follow from premises?

Counter-evidence: What evidence might exist that contradicts the argument? What data would an opponent cite?

Failure conditions: What would need to be true for this argument to fail entirely? This is the most powerful question — it forces you to identify the argument’s load-bearing assumptions.

💡 Real-World Example

Consider the argument: “Remote work is better for productivity because employees save commute time.” The steel man version would add supporting evidence: research on deep work, employee autonomy, and reduced office interruptions. The weak point analysis would then identify failure conditions: the argument fails if collaboration is essential, if home environments are distracting, or if the productivity gains are offset by coordination costs. Neither the original nor the critique captures the full picture — but together, they give you a map of where the argument is strong and where it’s fragile.

What to Do With the Results

Once you have AI’s steel man and weak point analysis, you’re equipped to make a judgment:

Evaluate the steel man. Does the strongest version of the argument convince you? If yes, maybe you should update your view. If no, move to the weak points.

Assess the weak points. Are the vulnerabilities AI identified fatal, or merely inconvenient? Can the argument survive with slight modifications?

Form your position. You now have the materials for a nuanced view: “This argument is strong in X conditions but fails when Y is true.”

⚠ Important Limitation

AI can construct steel men and identify structural weaknesses, but it can’t weigh values. If an argument depends on a moral premise (like “individual liberty matters more than collective efficiency”), AI can’t tell you whether that premise is correct — only what follows if you accept it.

Build Your Critical Reading Stack

The Steel Man Prompt is the final tool in the Critical Reading pillar. For comprehensive argument analysis, combine it with:

Argument Map Prompt — Visualize the structure (claims, reasons, evidence) before you rebuild it

Assumption Hunter — Uncover hidden premises the argument depends on

AI for Reading Hub — Explore all reading skills from comprehension to synthesis

Frequently Asked Questions

Steel manning means presenting the strongest, most charitable version of an argument — even one you disagree with. Unlike straw manning (attacking a weak version), steel manning forces you to engage with the best case your opponent could make. It’s intellectual honesty in action.
Weak arguments often rely on logical fallacies, unsupported claims, or emotional appeals instead of evidence. Use the Steel Man prompt to first strengthen the argument, then examine where it breaks — missing evidence, logical gaps, or assumptions that don’t hold. This two-step approach prevents you from attacking straw men.
If you can only defeat the weakest version of an opposing view, you haven’t really defeated it. Steel manning ensures your critique addresses the actual position, not a caricature. It also helps you discover when your own position has genuine weaknesses.
AI is excellent at identifying logical structure, missing evidence, and potential counter-examples. But it can’t judge whether a weak point is fatal to the argument — that requires your judgment about how much the flaw matters in context.
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Related Guides in Critical Reading

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C043
Argument Map Prompt: Claims to Reasons to Evidence
Visualize any argument: map claims, supporting reasons, evidence, and logical connections in one structured view.
Read Guide
C045
The Assumption Hunter: Uncover Hidden Premises
Every argument rests on assumptions. This prompt excavates what you must already believe for the argument to work.
Read Guide

You’ve Completed the Critical Reading Pillar

You now have 8 prompts for bias detection, evidence evaluation, argument mapping, assumption hunting, and stress-testing. Return to the pillar to review, or explore the full AI for Reading hub.

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All Critical Reading Guides

Stakeholder Update Prompt: Reading to 5-Sentence Summary

by
C049 💼 Reading for Work 1 Prompt

Stakeholder Update Prompt: Reading to 5-Sentence Summary

Turn any article into a stakeholder-ready update in exactly 5 sentences — tailored to executives, peers, or external partners.

5 min read 1 Prompt Guide 3 of 6
PR043 Business/Report Reader
Use for stakeholder-ready takeaways
I’m reading a business report or case study: “[paste excerpt]” Help me extract value: – What’s the key takeaway for decision-making? – What data matters vs. what’s noise? – What assumptions underlie the analysis? – What questions should I ask before acting on this?
Add: “Format as exactly 5 sentences for [audience]”
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Practice Concise Communication 365 articles for practicing stakeholder updates across business, economics, and policy.
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The 5-Sentence Template That Keeps You Readable

You read an industry report. Now your manager wants to know what it means. Your instinct is to summarize — but summaries grow. What started as “a quick overview” becomes a wall of text nobody reads.

The fix is a hard constraint: exactly 5 sentences. Not approximately. Exactly 5. This forces ruthless prioritization.

Sentence 1: The headline. What’s the single most important thing?

Sentence 2: The evidence. What data or fact supports the headline?

Sentence 3: The context. Why does this matter to your audience?

Sentence 4: The implication. What should change as a result?

Sentence 5: The next step. What action is needed?

⚡ Pro Tip

After running PR043, add: “Now condense this into exactly 5 sentences for [executives/peers/partners], following headline → evidence → context → implication → next step.”

Variations by Audience

For Executives: Lead with the implication (sentence 4), not the evidence. They want outcomes and decisions.

For Peers: Give more weight to evidence and context (sentences 2-3). They need to understand the reasoning.

For External Partners: Front-load impact and timelines. Minimize internal context they don’t need.

💡 Example: Same Article, Three Updates

For CEO: “Supply chain costs will rise 12% in Q3, requiring us to either raise prices or absorb margin compression.”

For Ops Team: “The McKinsey report projects 12% cost increases driven by shipping and raw materials. Our contracts expire in June.”

For Supplier: “Industry-wide cost pressures mean we’re reviewing all partnerships for efficiency.”

Using for Weekly Reports

The 5-sentence format is perfect for weekly status reports. Run PR043 on each major reading during the week, save the outputs, then compile into a single scannable report.

⚠ Important Limitation

AI gives structured output, but you must verify the key takeaway is what your specific stakeholders need to hear.

Build Your Communication Toolkit

Pair this with Action Memo for decisions, Meeting Prep for verbal discussions, and Decision Matrix for option comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use PR043 with audience context to extract the key takeaway in exactly 5 sentences. The constraint forces clarity — no room for fluff.
A summary compresses content objectively. A stakeholder update filters through your audience’s priorities — it answers “what does this mean for them?”
Executives want outcomes. Peers want details. Partners want impact. Add the audience to your prompt and AI adjusts emphasis automatically.
Absolutely. Run this prompt on each major article, then compile the 5-sentence updates into a single document. Faster and more consistent.
📚 The Ultimate Reading Course

Communicate Clearly, Every Time

Practice distilling complex reading into clear stakeholder updates across 365 real articles.

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Related Work Reading Guides

Complete your professional reading toolkit

C047
Turn an Article into an Action Memo
Transform articles into decision-ready memos with key facts, risks, options, and next steps.
Read Guide
C050
Decision Matrix from Reading
Extract decisions from reading: options identified, tradeoffs mapped, recommendation with reasoning.
Read Guide

Say More With Less

Master the 5-sentence update. Then add decision matrices and competitive intel to complete your professional reading stack.

Join the Course → Next: Decision Matrix →
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