Compare Two Articles on the Same Topic: Facts vs Framing

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C041 ⚖️ Critical Reading 1 Prompt

Compare Two Articles on the Same Topic: Facts vs Framing

Side-by-side source analysis: discover what both sources agree on, where they diverge, how framing shapes interpretation, and what neither source tells you.

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6 min read Source Synthesis Guide 1 of 5

PR025 The Cross-Text Connector

Use after reading two sources on the same topic

I’ve read two pieces on related topics. Text 1 main idea: [summarize or paste] Text 2 main idea: [summarize or paste] Help me synthesize: – Where do these texts agree? – Where do they contradict or create tension? – What new understanding emerges from reading both? – What question do BOTH texts leave unanswered?

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Why Comparing Two Articles Matters

Reading one article gives you information. Reading two articles on the same topic gives you something far more valuable: perspective on the information itself.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about any single source: it reflects choices. The writer chose which facts to include, which to omit, which words to use, and how to frame the narrative. These choices aren’t necessarily malicious — they’re inevitable. Every article is shaped by deadline pressure, word limits, editorial stance, and the writer’s own understanding.

When you compare two articles on the same topic, these invisible choices become visible. Where both sources agree, you’ve likely found solid ground. Where they diverge, you’ve found something worth investigating further.

This is the foundation of critical reading: treating sources as starting points for understanding, not endpoints.

How to Paste Sources Effectively

The Cross-Text Connector prompt (PR025) works with both full article text and summaries, but your input quality determines output quality.

Option 1: Full text comparison. Copy-paste both complete articles. This gives AI the most material to work with but works best for shorter pieces (under 2,000 words each). Mark clearly where Text 1 ends and Text 2 begins.

Option 2: Summary comparison. Write a 3-5 sentence summary of each article’s main argument, key evidence, and conclusion. This works better for long-form pieces and forces you to identify what matters in each source before comparing.

Option 3: Hybrid approach. Paste the full text of the shorter article and a summary of the longer one. Indicate which is which so AI calibrates its analysis appropriately.

💡 Pro Tip

Include source metadata: “Text 1 is from The Wall Street Journal (right-leaning business publication). Text 2 is from The Guardian (left-leaning UK newspaper).” This context helps AI interpret framing differences.

The Four Comparison Outputs

PR025 generates four specific outputs. Here’s how to use each:

“Where do these texts agree?” Convergence across different sources is powerful evidence. If a left-leaning and right-leaning publication both report the same fact, it’s probably reliable. Agreement on interpretation is even more significant.

“Where do they contradict or create tension?” Divergence reveals either factual disputes (one source is wrong) or framing disputes (both sources are selectively presenting). Distinguish these — factual disputes need verification; framing disputes need perspective.

“What new understanding emerges from reading both?” Synthesis is where comparison becomes insight. Neither source alone tells the full story, but together they might reveal patterns, tradeoffs, or nuances that neither explicitly states.

“What question do BOTH texts leave unanswered?” Shared blind spots are significant. If two different perspectives both avoid a question, that question might be the most important one to research independently.

📌 Beyond Two Sources

PR025 works with two texts. For three or more sources, see the Research Brief Prompt (C052). The same principles apply: find convergence, identify divergence, synthesize new understanding, and note shared gaps.

When to Use Source Comparison

Not every topic needs multi-source analysis. Focus your comparison energy where it matters:

Contested topics. Politics, policy, business controversies — anywhere reasonable people disagree. Single sources on contested topics are almost always incomplete.

Breaking news. Early reporting is often inaccurate. Comparing coverage across outlets reveals what’s confirmed versus speculative.

High-stakes decisions. If you’ll act on information, verify it through multiple lenses first.

For factual verification workflows, continue to the Fact-Check Mode guide. For single-source bias analysis, see the Bias Scanner Prompt. Explore all critical reading tools in the Critical Reading pillar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Choose sources likely to have different perspectives: different publications, different countries, different political leanings, or different stakeholder positions. The most revealing comparisons come from sources that disagree — agreement across different perspectives is stronger evidence than agreement within similar perspectives.

Full text for articles under 2,000 words each; summaries for longer pieces. Full text preserves nuance and framing details that summaries lose. But summaries force you to identify what matters before comparing, which is valuable. The hybrid approach — full text for one, summary for the other — often works best.

Strong agreement across different sources is meaningful — it suggests the shared conclusions are reliable. But also ask: are these sources actually independent, or are they drawing from the same underlying source? Check whether both cite the same study, quote the same expert, or originate from the same press release.

PR025 is optimized for two-text comparison. For three or more sources, use the Research Brief Prompt (C052) which synthesizes multiple sources into a single brief with source attribution. The principles remain the same: find convergence, identify divergence, synthesize, and note gaps.

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Bridging Inference Builder: Connect Ideas Across Sentences

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C054 🧩 Inference 1 Prompt

Bridging Inference Prompt: Connect the Dots Between Sentences

Find the unstated connections your mind builds between consecutive sentences — the logical bridges, assumed knowledge, and implicit reasoning steps.

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5 min read Coherence Builder Guide 2 of 8

PR012 The Bridging Inference Builder

Use when connections aren’t obvious

Here are two consecutive sentences/paragraphs from my reading: “[Sentence/Para 1]” “[Sentence/Para 2]” What’s the unstated connection between them? Help me see: – What logical bridge connects these ideas? – What does the author assume I’ll fill in? – What prior knowledge makes this connection clear?

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What Is a Bridging Inference?

A bridging inference is the unstated connection your mind builds between two consecutive sentences. Authors don’t spell out every link — they assume you’ll fill in the gaps using context, logic, and background knowledge.

Consider this pair of sentences: “The restaurant was empty. John decided to eat at home.” The author never says John wanted to eat at a busy restaurant, or that emptiness signaled poor quality. You inferred all of that. That’s a bridging inference.

When you miss a bridging inference, the text feels disjointed. Paragraphs don’t connect. Arguments seem to jump. The bridging inference prompt makes these invisible connections visible so you can understand why the author moved from point A to point B.

Running the Prompt: What You’ll Get

The PR012 prompt asks AI to reveal three things about any two consecutive passages:

1. The logical bridge — what unstated proposition connects idea A to idea B

2. What the author assumes you’ll fill in — the implicit reasoning step

3. What prior knowledge makes the connection clear — the background information required

This triple structure matters. Knowing the bridge tells you what’s implied. Knowing the assumption tells you what the author expects from readers. Knowing the prior knowledge tells you whether you’re missing context or just missed a clue.

📌 Example

Input: “The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25%. Mortgage applications fell to their lowest level in three years.”

Bridge: Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, which reduces demand for mortgages.

Assumption: Reader knows that mortgage rates track Fed policy and that higher costs reduce demand.

Prior knowledge: Basic macroeconomics — the relationship between central bank policy and consumer lending rates.

The Role of Prior Knowledge

Bridging inferences depend heavily on what you already know. The same two sentences can be perfectly clear to an economist and completely opaque to someone else. The prompt helps you identify exactly what knowledge you’re missing.

This is especially useful when reading outside your field. Academic papers, technical documentation, and specialist journalism all assume disciplinary knowledge.

💡 Pro Tip

When AI identifies prior knowledge you don’t have, ask a follow-up: “Explain [that concept] at a high school level.” This fills the gap so you can read the rest of the text more fluently.

When to Use This Prompt

Use the bridging inference prompt when you notice:

Sudden topic shifts — the author moves from one subject to another without explicit transition

Conclusions that seem to come from nowhere — you understand each sentence but not how they connect

Dense technical writing — you’re reading outside your expertise and feel lost

Argument structures you can’t follow — you know there’s logic, but you can’t trace it

⚠️ Common Mistake

Don’t paste entire paragraphs. The prompt works best with 2–4 sentences where you’ve identified a specific jump. Longer passages diffuse the analysis.

How Bridging Inference Differs from Regular Inference

The Inference Excavator (C053) finds conclusions implied by the text. Bridging inference finds connections between parts of the text.

Regular inference: What can I conclude from what’s stated?

Bridging inference: Why does sentence B follow sentence A?

Regular inference extracts meaning. Bridging inference maintains coherence. Both matter for deep reading, but they solve different problems.

Continue to the Read Between the Lines prompt (C055) for subtext and author attitude, or explore all tools in the Inference pillar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Regular inference draws conclusions from what’s stated. Bridging inference finds the unstated connection between consecutive sentences. Regular inference extracts meaning; bridging inference maintains coherence — understanding why the author moved from point A to point B.

2–4 sentences work best, where you’ve identified a specific logical leap. Longer passages diffuse the analysis and make the bridge harder to pinpoint. Use this prompt surgically — when you sense a gap that’s blocking your understanding.

Ask a follow-up: “Explain [that concept] at a high school level.” This fills the gap so you can read the rest of the text more fluently. The prompt helps you identify exactly what you need to learn.

Use Bridging Inference (PR012) when sentences feel disconnected and you can’t follow the logic between them. Use Inference Excavator (PR011) when you want to find conclusions implied by the passage as a whole, even when the text flows smoothly.

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Bias Scanner Prompt: Detect Framing, Loaded Language & Missing Views

February 16, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C039 ⚖️ Critical Reading 2 Prompts

Bias Scanner Prompt: Detect Framing, Loaded Language & Missing Views

Systematic bias detection: identify framing choices, loaded words, missing perspectives, and get a neutral rewrite.

6 min read Critical Analysis Guide 1 of 8

PR022 The Source Interrogator

To evaluate credibility and bias

I’m reading this piece: “[paste passage or describe source]” Help me think critically about the source: – What perspective or bias might the author/publication have? – What’s the author’s expertise or authority on this topic? – What audience is this written for, and how might that shape content? – What questions should I research independently after reading this?

PR024 The Rhetorical Move Spotter

To identify persuasion techniques

Here’s a passage: “[paste passage]” What rhetorical moves is the author making? – How does the author establish credibility? – What emotional appeals (if any) are present? – How does the author handle counterarguments or objections? – What persuasive techniques are being used (and are they fair)?

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Types of Bias These Prompts Detect

Every text has a perspective. The question isn’t whether bias exists — it always does — but whether you can detect bias in an article before it influences you unconsciously.

Framing bias: The same facts arranged to support different conclusions. “Government cuts wasteful spending” vs “Government slashes essential services” — same policy, opposite emotional responses. PR022 surfaces whose interests the framing serves.

Selection bias: What facts were included? More importantly, what was left out? PR022’s “research independently” question forces you to consider missing information.

Authority bias: The author cites credentials or “experts” to build trust. PR022 evaluates whether that authority is relevant and whether alternative expert views exist.

Emotional bias: Language designed to trigger emotional responses rather than rational evaluation. PR024’s “emotional appeals” question isolates these techniques.

Omission bias: The absence of counterarguments, alternative explanations, or inconvenient data. Both prompts work together to surface what’s missing.

💡 Real-World Example

“Government Slashes Support for Working Families” and “Government Streamlines Welfare to Reduce Waste” describe the same policy. Neither is lying. But the framing triggers empathy in one case, approval in another. Running PR022 on both versions surfaces who benefits from each framing.

The Two-Prompt Workflow

These prompts work in sequence. PR022 (Source Interrogator) analyzes WHO is speaking and WHY. PR024 (Rhetorical Move Spotter) analyzes HOW they’re trying to persuade you.

Step 1 — Read first: Read the article yourself. Note where you feel persuaded or uneasy — that’s often where bias hides. Your gut reactions are data.

Step 2 — Run PR022: Paste the full text and run the Source Interrogator. Get analysis of author perspective, expertise, audience shaping, and what to research independently.

Step 3 — Run PR024: Same text, second prompt. Get analysis of credibility moves, emotional appeals, counterargument handling, and persuasion techniques.

Step 4 — Verify and decide: AI flags potential bias. You decide what matters. Not all bias is equally important — mild framing in a feature article is different from suppressed evidence in a policy report.

📌 Neutral Rewrite Test

After running both prompts, ask AI: “Rewrite this passage neutrally, removing loaded language while preserving the facts.” Comparing the original to the neutral version reveals how much the framing was doing.

What to Do After AI Flags Bias

AI flagging bias is the starting point, not the conclusion. Once you have AI’s analysis:

Verify the flags: Go back to the original text. Can you find the specific sentences AI pointed to? If AI claims emotional language was used, does the passage actually read that way to you?

Assess severity: Not all bias matters equally. Ask: does this bias change the conclusion? Does it hide important information?

Seek the missing perspective: If AI identifies one-sided sourcing, find an article from the other side. Use Evidence Check Prompt (C040) to evaluate the quality of evidence, or News Critical Lens (C035) for news-specific analysis.

Form your own view: The goal isn’t to reject everything with bias — that would leave you reading nothing. The goal is to see the bias, adjust for it, and form your own informed view.

This is the first guide in the Critical Reading pillar. Continue to Evidence Check, Compare Articles, Fact-Check Mode, and more. Return to AI for Reading for the complete system.

Frequently Asked Questions

AI can identify many forms of bias — loaded language, one-sided sourcing, framing effects, and missing perspectives. But it can’t make value judgments for you. Use these prompts to get a structured analysis, then apply your own critical thinking to decide which flags matter.

The prompts cover author perspective, expertise, audience shaping, credibility establishment, emotional appeals, counterargument handling, and persuasion techniques. Together they surface framing bias, selection bias, omission bias, and rhetorical manipulation.

Always paste the full text. Most AI tools can’t reliably access URLs — they may hallucinate content or return errors. Copy the article text directly and paste it into your prompt for accurate, grounded analysis.

The News Critical Lens (C035) is optimized for news articles — separating hook from substance, checking sources. The Bias Scanner is deeper and works on any text type: opinion, academic, business. Use News Lens for quick news analysis, Bias Scanner for thorough rhetorical analysis.

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Argument Map Prompt: Claims to Reasons to Evidence

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C043 ⚖️ Critical Reading 2 Prompts

Argument Map Prompt: Claims to Reasons to Evidence

Visualize argument structure: extract the main claim, supporting reasons, evidence chain, and unstated premises that hold it all together.

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6 min read Structure Analysis Guide 3 of 5

PR007 The Argument Mapper

Use to map structure of persuasive text

Here’s a passage making an argument: “[paste passage]” Map the argument structure: – What’s the main claim? – What evidence or reasons support it? – What’s the logical chain connecting evidence to claim? – Are there any unstated premises I need to accept for this to work? – Draw a simple visual map if helpful.

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?

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Why Argument Maps Help You Read Better

Most arguments are invisible. Not because they’re hidden, but because prose obscures structure. A skilled writer weaves claims, evidence, and reasoning into flowing paragraphs that feel natural — so natural you might nod along without noticing what you’re actually agreeing to.

An argument map makes that invisible structure visible. It extracts the skeleton from the prose: the main claim sits at the top, the supporting reasons branch below it, and the evidence anchors each reason to something concrete. When you see arguments this way, you can evaluate them — not just experience them.

This matters because persuasion and validity are different things. A well-written argument can persuade you even when it’s logically weak. A poorly written argument can fail to persuade even when it’s sound. Mapping separates the writing from the reasoning.

How the Argument Mapper Prompt Works

PR007 (The Argument Mapper) asks AI to break down any argumentative passage into its structural components. You paste a passage, and AI returns four things: the main claim, the supporting evidence and reasons, the logical chain connecting them, and any unstated premises the argument requires you to accept.

What counts as a “main claim”? It’s the central assertion the passage wants you to accept. In an opinion piece about remote work, the main claim might be “Companies should adopt permanent hybrid policies.” Everything else in the passage exists to support that claim.

What counts as “evidence”? Evidence is the concrete stuff: statistics, studies, examples, expert quotes, historical precedents. Reasons are the interpretive layer that explains why evidence supports the claim.

Example Argument Map

Main Claim: Cities should dramatically increase public transit investment.

Supporting Reasons:
1. Transit reduces traffic congestion → supported by Denver study showing 23% reduction
2. Transit is more environmentally sustainable → supported by carbon emissions comparison
3. Transit increases economic mobility → supported by job access statistics

Unstated Premises: Assumes cities have budget capacity; assumes transit will be used if built; assumes benefits outweigh costs.

Going Deeper with the Assumption Hunter

PR007 reveals explicit structure. PR020 (The Assumption Hunter) digs into implicit foundations — the beliefs you must already hold for the argument to work.

Every argument has hidden premises. “We should invest in transit because it reduces congestion” assumes you believe congestion is a problem worth solving. “Transit increases economic mobility” assumes you value economic mobility. Making these explicit helps you understand why people disagree.

Someone who believes cities shouldn’t subsidize transportation will find the transit argument unpersuasive — not because the evidence is wrong, but because they don’t share the underlying values. The Assumption Hunter identifies these fault lines.

💡 Pro Tip

After mapping an argument, ask: “What would need to be true for this argument to fail?” This question often reveals assumptions faster than analyzing them directly. Work backward from failure to find hidden requirements.

When to Use Argument Mapping

Opinion pieces and editorials: These are explicitly persuasive. Mapping reveals what they’re actually asking you to accept.

Policy proposals: Government documents, think tank reports, and advocacy pieces all make arguments. Mapping shows the structure beneath the prose.

Academic arguments: Research papers have argument structures too — hypotheses, evidence, conclusions. Mapping helps you see whether conclusions follow from data.

Persuasive business writing: Marketing copy, pitch decks, strategic memos. Once you see argument structures, you can’t unsee them.

Continue to the What’s Missing Prompt (C044) for gap analysis, or the Assumption Hunter Guide (C045) for deeper assumption work. Explore all tools in the Critical Reading pillar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Evidence is concrete: statistics, studies, examples, quotes. Reasons are the interpretive layer explaining why evidence supports the claim. “Productivity increased 15% during remote work” is evidence. “Remote work increases productivity” is a reason derived from that evidence.

Ask: what does the author want me to believe or do by the end? Everything else exists to support that conclusion. In persuasive writing, the main claim is often stated in the introduction or conclusion. In subtle writing, it may be implied rather than explicit.

PR007 (Argument Mapper) first — understand the explicit structure before digging into implicit foundations. PR020 (Assumption Hunter) second — once you see the structure, examine what holds it together. Mapping, then hunting.

Argument mapping works best on persuasive text. Informational or narrative text may not have argument structures to map. If AI returns a weak or forced map, the passage probably isn’t argumentative. Use different prompts — summarization or analysis instead.

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Analogy Builder: AI Prompts for Analogies That Make Ideas Stick

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C012 🧠 Understand Difficult Text 1 Prompt

Analogy Builder: AI Prompts for Analogies That Make Ideas Stick

Build understanding through analogy: prompts that generate comparisons from your familiar domains to new concepts.

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5 min read Bridge Concepts Guide 4 of 6

PR054 The Analogy Bridge

To understand unfamiliar topics through familiar ones

I’m reading about [unfamiliar topic]: “[paste passage]” I’m more familiar with [familiar topic/domain]. Help me understand the new topic by: – Drawing parallels to what I already know – Explaining where the analogy holds and where it breaks down – Giving me a mental model I can use as scaffolding

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Why Analogies Work

Your brain doesn’t store information in isolation. It builds knowledge by connecting new ideas to existing ones. When you learn that “the cell membrane is like a security checkpoint,” you’re not just memorizing words — you’re linking unfamiliar biology to familiar experience. That connection makes the new concept easier to understand, remember, and apply.

This is why analogy prompts for understanding are so powerful. Instead of building knowledge from scratch, you borrow structure from something you already know. The checkpoint analogy gives you instant intuition about the membrane: it lets some things through, blocks others, and checks everything that passes. You didn’t need to memorize that — you inferred it from the familiar domain.

The Analogy Bridge prompt (PR054) makes this explicit. You tell AI what you already understand, and it translates unfamiliar content into your language. A programmer learning economics gets analogies about systems and feedback loops. A chef learning chemistry gets analogies about combining ingredients under heat. Same concept, different mental scaffolding.

The Prompt: Bridge to Familiar Ground

PR054 has three inputs: the unfamiliar topic (what you’re trying to learn), the passage you’re reading, and your familiar domain (what you already know well). The output includes three things:

Parallels: What corresponds to what? If you’re learning about neural networks and you know cooking, the AI might explain that layers in a neural network are like stages in a recipe — each one transforms the input and passes it to the next. The parallels give you entry points.

Limits: Where does the analogy break down? Neural networks don’t have a “chef” making decisions — they’re more like a recipe that adjusts itself based on whether diners liked the dish. Knowing the limits prevents overgeneralizing.

Mental model: What framework can you carry forward? This is the simplified scaffolding that helps you think about the new topic even when you’re not looking at the analogy anymore.

💡 Pro Tip

The more specific your familiar domain, the better the analogy. “I understand sports” is vague. “I understand basketball strategy, especially pick-and-roll plays” gives AI precise structure to work with.

Three Types of Analogies

Structural analogies compare how things are organized. “A company’s hierarchy is like an army’s chain of command.” These work well for understanding systems, processes, and relationships.

Functional analogies compare what things do. “Enzymes are like scissors that cut specific shapes.” These work well for understanding mechanisms, purposes, and effects.

Experiential analogies connect to personal experience. “Learning a new framework feels like moving to a new city — everything is unfamiliar at first, but you build mental maps over time.” These work well for understanding abstract processes and emotional states.

When you ask for analogies, consider which type would help most. Understanding what something is? Ask for structural. Understanding what it does? Ask for functional. Understanding what it feels like? Ask for experiential.

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Taking analogies literally. The cell membrane isn’t actually a checkpoint with guards. If you push an analogy too far, you’ll reach conclusions that don’t apply. Always check: “Does this inference come from the actual concept or just the analogy?”

Pitfall 2: Using only one analogy. Single analogies emphasize certain features and hide others. A cell membrane as “checkpoint” highlights selectivity but hides fluidity. Add a second analogy — “also like a soap bubble that can merge and reshape” — and you get a more complete picture.

Pitfall 3: Vague familiar domains. “Explain this like I’m a student” gives AI nothing to work with. “Explain this like I run a small restaurant” gives specific structures: inventory, staff, customers, daily operations, cash flow. Specificity creates better bridges.

📌 When to Use Analogies

Analogies work best for abstract concepts, new domains, and counterintuitive ideas. For straightforward factual content, you probably don’t need them. Use analogies when you think “I understand the words but not the idea” — that’s the gap analogies fill.

Combining with Other Prompts

Analogies work well alongside other comprehension tools. If you don’t know enough to understand a passage, start with the Prerequisites Prompt (C011) to fill knowledge gaps. Then use analogies to connect the new knowledge to what you now understand.

For complex text, use the 3-Step Simplification Workflow (C009) first to identify the core ideas, then request analogies for the concepts that remain unclear. Analogies work best when you’ve already isolated what you need to understand.

Explore the full Understand Difficult Text pillar for more comprehension tools, or return to the AI for Reading hub for the complete prompt ecosystem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Analogies work because they connect new information to existing neural pathways. When you understand something in terms of what you already know, you’re building on established knowledge structures rather than creating entirely new ones — which is cognitively easier and creates stronger memory.

Ask AI to suggest familiar domains that might work. You can say “What everyday activities might help me understand [concept]?” AI can propose analogies from cooking, sports, relationships, driving, or other universal experiences.

Every analogy breaks down somewhere — that’s why the prompt explicitly asks where the comparison fails. If you find yourself confused when the analogy doesn’t apply, go back to the literal explanation. The analogy is scaffolding, not the building itself.

Yes, and you should. Different analogies highlight different aspects of a concept. Using two or three complementary analogies gives you a more complete understanding than any single comparison could provide.

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AI Reading Diagnostics: Find Your Weakness

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C031 🎯 Reading Coach 2 Prompts

AI Reading Diagnostics: Find Your Weakness

Test your confidence calibration and examine your reading habits — find out what’s actually holding you back.

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5 min read 2 Diagnostic Tools Guide 1 of 4

PR038 The Self-Assessment Calibrator

Test your confidence accuracy

After reading this passage: “[paste passage]” I would rate my understanding as [X/10]. Help me calibrate: – Ask me 3-4 questions to test whether my self-rating is accurate – Based on my answers, tell me if I’m overconfident, underconfident, or well-calibrated – What specifically should I review if my confidence was misplaced?

PR039 The “What Kind of Reader Am I?” Reflector

Periodic habits review

I want to reflect on my reading habits. Here’s how I typically read: – [Describe your approach — do you skim? read word by word? take notes? re-read?] – [What do you find easy/hard about reading?] Based on what skilled readers do, help me see: – What am I doing well? – What habits might be holding me back? – What’s one strategy I could try to improve?

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Why Self-Diagnosis Matters

Generic reading advice fails because it assumes everyone has the same problem. “Read more” doesn’t help if your issue is comprehension. “Slow down” doesn’t help if your issue is focus. “Take notes” doesn’t help if your issue is not knowing what to note.

Reading comprehension diagnosis starts with figuring out what’s actually broken. Most reading problems fall into four categories: speed (too slow or too fast for the material), comprehension (understanding what you read), retention (remembering what you understood), and focus (staying engaged long enough to finish).

The two prompts above attack diagnosis from different angles. PR038 tests whether your confidence matches your actual understanding — a direct measure of comprehension accuracy. PR039 examines your reading habits to surface patterns that might be causing problems you haven’t identified.

The Self-Assessment Test (PR038)

Most readers are overconfident about their understanding. They finish a passage, feel like they “got it,” and move on. But feeling like you understood isn’t the same as actually understanding.

PR038 creates a feedback loop: rate your understanding, get tested, discover whether you were accurate. Over time, you’ll learn when your confidence matches reality and when you’re overestimating your comprehension.

The calibration data reveals patterns. If you’re consistently overconfident with technical content but well-calibrated with narratives, that tells you where to slow down and check yourself more carefully.

💡 Pro Tip

After getting calibration feedback, track a simple metric: how often were you overconfident vs. underconfident vs. accurate? After 10 sessions, you’ll have real data on your calibration patterns.

The Habits Reflection (PR039)

Sometimes the problem isn’t comprehension — it’s the approach. PR039 examines your reading habits against what skilled readers actually do.

Common patterns that PR039 catches include reading everything at the same speed (skilled readers adjust), skipping preview/review (which hurts retention), not taking notes when needed (or taking too many notes), and pushing through confusion instead of stopping to fix it.

Be honest when describing your habits. The prompt can only help if you accurately describe what you actually do, not what you think you should do.

📌 After Diagnosis

Knowing your weakness is step one. Next, track your progress with the Progress Tracker (C032) and get personalized strategy advice with the Strategy Advisor (C033).

For more diagnostic and coaching tools, explore the full Reading Coach pillar or return to the AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use PR038 on 5-10 reading sessions and track the pattern. If AI consistently finds gaps in passages you rated 8/10, you’re overconfident. If you rate passages 5/10 but answer all questions correctly, you’re underconfident. Well-calibrated means your confidence predicts your actual performance.

Four categories cover most problems: speed (too slow or too fast), comprehension (not understanding), retention (forgetting what you understood), and focus (getting distracted). Most readers have issues in 1-2 areas, not all four. The diagnostics help you pinpoint which.

PR038 (calibration) works best as a regular practice — weekly or with any challenging content. PR039 (habits reflection) is better as a periodic check-in — monthly or quarterly. Too frequent reflection creates diminishing returns.

AI can’t observe you reading, but it can test the outcomes: Did you understand? Did you remember? Did your confidence match reality? The prompts work by making your reading patterns visible through structured reflection and calibration checks. You diagnose yourself — AI provides the framework and feedback.

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Once you know your weakness, you need practice material. 365 articles across difficulty levels — perfect for targeted skill building.

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Know Your Weakness. Fix It.

Run PR038 on your next reading session. Find out if you’re overconfident, underconfident, or well-calibrated.

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Reading Coach Pillar

Active Reading Prompts: Stay Engaged with Every Paragraph

February 13, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C008 📋 AI Reading Prompts Library 2 Prompts

Active Reading Prompts: Stay Engaged with Every Paragraph

Stop passive scanning. Use AI to maintain focus, check comprehension, and engage with text paragraph by paragraph — with copy-paste prompts and checkpoint questions.

Copy Prompts ↓ ← Back to Prompts Library

2 Prompts 5 min read Beginner

PR003 The Active Reading Companion

Use while reading, paragraph by paragraph

I’m reading this passage: “[paste passage]” As I read, help me engage actively: – What are the key claims or ideas here? – What words or phrases carry the most weight? – Where should I slow down or re-read? – What’s the author doing rhetorically (explaining, arguing, describing)?

PR010 The Paragraph Autopsy

Use for close reading of dense paragraphs

Here’s a single paragraph: “[paste paragraph]” Dissect it completely: – What’s the topic sentence (stated or implied)? – What function does each sentence serve? – How does it connect to what likely came before/after? – What makes this paragraph effective or ineffective?

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Practice Active Reading on Real Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with RC questions — perfect material for building your active reading habit with these prompts.

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What Is Active Reading (and Why You’re Probably Not Doing It)

Active reading is deliberate engagement with text — asking questions, identifying key ideas, and checking your own comprehension as you go. It’s the opposite of what most people do: scanning words while their mind wanders, reaching the end of a page with no idea what they just read.

Research consistently shows that active readers retain 50-70% more than passive readers. The difference isn’t intelligence or speed — it’s attention strategy. Active readers treat reading like a conversation: they respond to each paragraph before moving on.

The problem is that active reading takes effort. Your brain defaults to passive mode because it’s easier. These active reading prompts AI tools act as external checkpoints — forcing engagement when your natural tendency is to drift.

Two Prompts, Two Purposes

The prompts above serve different functions in your reading workflow:

PR003 (Active Reading Companion) is your paragraph-by-paragraph engagement tool. It identifies key claims, weighted phrases, and rhetorical purpose. Use it to maintain focus and catch the “big moves” each paragraph makes. It’s fast enough to use on every paragraph without breaking your reading flow.

PR010 (Paragraph Autopsy) goes deeper. It dissects sentence-by-sentence structure, topic sentences, and logical connections. Reserve this for dense passages that resist understanding — places where you’ve read three times and still feel lost.

Together, they form a checkpoint system: PR003 keeps you engaged, PR010 helps you break through confusion.

The Checkpoint Method: How to Stay Focused

Here’s the workflow that turns these prompts into a reading habit:

Read one paragraph. Not the whole article — just one paragraph. Copy it.
Paste into AI with PR003. Let AI identify the key claims, weighted words, and rhetorical moves. This takes 30 seconds.
Self-check: Can you now explain that paragraph in your own words? If yes, move on. If not, use PR010 for deeper analysis or simply re-read.
Repeat. The goal is engagement, not speed. You’ll actually read faster over time because you won’t need to re-read confused sections.

💡 Pro Tip

Start with articles you want to read — not textbooks or reports. Once the checkpoint habit is automatic, apply it to harder material. If you’re constantly zoning out while reading, this method is your fix.

When to Go Deeper with PR010

Not every paragraph needs an autopsy. Use PR010 when:

You’ve read the paragraph twice and still can’t summarize it
The paragraph contains a critical argument or turning point
You sense the author is doing something complex but can’t articulate what
You’re studying for an exam and need to understand structure, not just content

PR010’s output includes sentence-by-sentence function analysis. This is especially useful for understanding how an author builds an argument — skill that transfers directly to your own writing. It pairs well with the SQ3R method prompts for comprehensive study sessions.

Example: Applying the Prompts to Real Text

📝 Example Paragraph

“The rise of remote work has fundamentally altered commercial real estate markets, but the long-term implications remain contested. While some analysts predict a permanent 30% reduction in office demand, others argue that collaborative needs will drive companies back to physical spaces once pandemic-era lease agreements expire.”

Using PR003, AI would identify: the key claim is uncertainty about long-term office demand; “fundamentally altered” and “permanent” carry weight; the author is presenting a contested debate without taking sides (explaining, not arguing).

Using PR010, you’d see: sentence 1 introduces the topic and stakes; sentence 2 presents opposing predictions with specific details (30%, lease expirations); the paragraph sets up a debate the author will presumably resolve later.

Now you understand what this paragraph does and why it’s structured this way. That’s active reading.

Building the Habit (Without These Prompts)

The endgame isn’t prompt-dependent reading — it’s internalizing the questions. After using PR003 and PR010 for a few weeks, you’ll notice yourself automatically asking: What’s the key claim here? What’s the author doing rhetorically?

The prompts are training wheels. They externalize what skilled readers do internally. Once the habit is built, you won’t need AI for most paragraphs — only the truly dense ones.

For a structured approach to building these habits, explore the AI Reading Coach routines pillar, which includes daily practice frameworks and progress tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Active reading means engaging with text deliberately — asking questions, identifying key ideas, and checking comprehension as you go. Unlike passive scanning, active reading builds understanding and retention. Research shows that readers who engage actively remember 50-70% more than passive readers.

The prompts force interaction with each paragraph before moving on. By asking AI to identify key claims, rhetorical moves, and sentence functions, you create natural checkpoints that prevent zoning out. It’s like having a reading partner who keeps you accountable.

Not necessarily. Use PR003 (Active Reading Companion) for most paragraphs to maintain engagement. Reserve PR010 (Paragraph Autopsy) for dense or confusing sections that need deeper analysis. Over time, you’ll internalize the questioning habit and need the prompts less.

PR003 (Active Reading Companion) gives you a quick engagement check — key claims, weighted phrases, and rhetorical purpose. PR010 (Paragraph Autopsy) is more intensive — it dissects every sentence’s function and structural role. Use PR003 for flow, PR010 for deep comprehension of difficult passages.

📚 The Ultimate Reading Course

Focus Is a Skill. Build It with Practice.

These prompts are the tools. The course gives you 365 articles with RC questions — the perfect material to practice active reading until it becomes automatic.

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Explore More Reading Prompts

You’ve added active reading prompts to your toolkit. The Prompts Library has dozens more — for summarizing, vocabulary, critical analysis, exam prep, and beyond.

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All Reading Prompts

Accuracy Check Prompt: Verify the Summary Against the Text

February 16, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C018 📝 Summarize Articles 2 Prompts

Accuracy Check: Verify the Summary Against the Text

Don’t trust blind summaries: prompts that make AI cross-check each claim against source text and flag uncertainties.

5 min read Verification Guide 4 of 6

PR035 The Comprehension Check-In

Mid-reading to verify understanding

I’m reading this text: “[paste passage]” My current understanding: [what you think it means] My confidence level: [high/medium/low] Help me check my comprehension: – Is my understanding accurate? – What signals should tell me if I’m on track or lost? – What should I re-read or look up? – What fix-up strategies would help here?

PR033 The “Explain It Back” Checker

After reading to verify comprehension

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

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Verify Understanding Daily 365 articles with expert analysis — check your comprehension against professional interpretations.

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The Problem with Blind Summaries

AI summaries are convenient but unreliable. Large language models can hallucinate details that weren’t in the source, conflate similar concepts, drop crucial qualifications, or misrepresent the author’s actual emphasis. The summary sounds plausible — that’s what makes it dangerous.

You can’t catch these errors by reading the summary alone. The only way to verify an AI summary is to check it against the original text. These two prompts make that verification systematic rather than hoping you’ll notice problems.

The base summary prompt (C015) gets you a good first draft. These verification prompts ensure that draft is actually accurate.

Two-Step Verification

Step 1: PR035 — Check your understanding mid-process. Before you finalize anything, state what you think the text means and how confident you are. AI compares your understanding against the source and tells you whether you’re on track. This catches misinterpretations before they become embedded in your notes.

The key is the confidence rating. If you say “high confidence” and you’re wrong, that’s a different problem than “low confidence” and you’re wrong. The prompt adjusts its response accordingly — high confidence errors get correction, low confidence gets clarification.

Step 2: PR033 — Explain it back for evaluation. After reading, explain the text in your own words. AI evaluates your explanation against the source and identifies four things: what you got right, what you got wrong or oversimplified, what you missed entirely, and what you understand superficially versus deeply.

This is the Feynman technique with AI as your checker. The act of explaining exposes gaps in your understanding that passive reading hides.

💡 Pro Tip

Always include the original text in the same prompt as your explanation. AI can only verify against what it can see. If you just provide your summary, AI will evaluate it for coherence, not accuracy.

What Verification Catches

Hallucinated details: AI sometimes adds specifics that weren’t in the source — statistics, names, dates, or claims that sound right but aren’t there. Verification prompts ask AI to point to where each claim appears in the original.

Conflated concepts: When an article discusses two related but different ideas, AI might blur them together. Verification catches when your understanding merges things that should stay separate.

Dropped qualifications: The original says “in some cases” or “under certain conditions.” The summary says “always.” These subtle shifts can completely change meaning. Verification flags where nuance got lost.

Misplaced emphasis: The author’s main point might become a minor detail in your summary, while a supporting example becomes the headline. Verification helps you see whether you’ve captured the actual argument structure.

When to Use Verification

You don’t need to verify every summary. Save verification for content that matters:

Decision-relevant summaries: If you’ll act on the information — making recommendations, changing strategy, advising others — verification prevents costly errors.

Shared summaries: If you’ll send the summary to colleagues, publish it, or use it in presentations, verification protects your credibility.

Learning material: If you’re studying for retention, verification prevents you from learning incorrect information that’s harder to unlearn later.

For casual browsing and personal curiosity, verification is overkill. Use it when accuracy has consequences.

📌 Combine with Fact-Checking

Verification confirms the summary matches the source. It doesn’t confirm the source itself is accurate. For claims that matter, also use the Fact-Check Mode (C042) to generate a verification checklist for the original text’s claims.

Limitations of AI Verification

AI checking AI isn’t perfect. The same model that made errors can miss them when reviewing. Think of verification as adding another check, not guaranteeing accuracy.

For high-stakes content — medical information, legal claims, financial decisions — human verification remains essential. Use AI verification to catch obvious errors and flag areas for human review, not as the final word.

Return to the Summarize Articles pillar for more summary formats, or explore the full AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

AI can hallucinate details, conflate concepts, or omit crucial qualifications. Even accurate summaries might misrepresent emphasis or miss the author’s actual point. Verification catches these errors before they become part of your understanding.

PR035 checks your understanding mid-process — you state what you think, and AI verifies. PR033 evaluates your explanation after reading — you explain it back, and AI identifies what you got right, wrong, or missed. Use both for thorough verification.

Verify summaries that matter: when accuracy affects decisions, when you’ll share the summary with others, or when you’re learning material for the long term. Quick overviews for personal browsing don’t need full verification.

AI can catch some errors when you provide the original text alongside the summary for comparison. It’s not perfect — you’re adding another check, not guaranteeing accuracy. For high-stakes content, human verification is still essential.

📚 The Ultimate Reading Course

Accurate Understanding, Verified Daily

365 articles with expert analysis — compare your comprehension against professional interpretation.

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1,098 Practice Questions 365 Articles with Analysis 6 Courses + Community

2 More Summary Guides Await

Extract key takeaways and quotes, then learn purpose-specific summary formats.

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Summarize Articles Pillar

5-Minute AI Reading Routine: Understand and Remember Daily

February 16, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C027 🎯 Reading Coach Routines

5-Minute AI Reading Routine

A complete reading session in 5 minutes: survey, question, quick read, and one-sentence takeaway.

5 min read 3 Prompts Guide 1 of 8

PR001 The Pre-Reading Scanner (Survey)

Before reading — 1 minute

I’m about to read: [describe text — title, source, length, topic] Help me survey it first: – Based on the title/topic, what is this likely about? – What do I probably already know about this subject? – What are 3-4 questions I should try to answer while reading? – What vocabulary or concepts might I encounter that I should be ready for?

PR002 The Question Generator

After survey — 1 minute

Here’s the opening section/abstract/introduction of what I’m reading: “[paste]” Generate 5-7 questions I should keep in mind while reading the full text: – 2 factual questions (what, when, who) – 2 analytical questions (why, how) – 2 evaluative questions (so what, is this valid) – 1 connection question (how does this relate to…)

PR005 The Consolidation Partner (Review)

After reading — 1 minute

I’ve finished reading: “[describe what you read]” Here’s my understanding: [your summary] Help me review and consolidate: – Is my summary accurate and complete? – What are the 2-3 most important takeaways? – What questions do I still have? – How does this connect to other things I know? – What would help me remember this in a week?

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5 Minutes a Day Builds Comprehension 365 articles designed for the 5-minute routine — perfect for building a sustainable daily reading habit.

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Why a 5-Minute Routine Works

Most reading advice fails because it demands too much. “Take detailed notes.” “Annotate every paragraph.” “Write a summary.” The overhead kills the habit before it starts.

The 5-minute reading routine flips the model. Instead of comprehensive analysis, it focuses on three high-leverage moments: before, during, and after reading. Each moment takes about a minute of AI interaction, leaving two minutes for the actual reading. That’s enough for a short article — and for longer pieces, you read faster because you’ve primed your brain with the right questions.

The routine uses three prompts from the SQ3R method, a research-backed reading framework from the 1940s that still outperforms most modern techniques. Survey. Question. Read. Recite. Review. We’ve condensed it to Survey-Question-Review, trusting you to do the reading in between.

The 5-Minute Steps

Minute 1 — Survey (PR001): Before you read, tell AI what you’re about to read. Just the title, source, and topic. AI gives you: what it’s likely about, what you already know, questions to answer, and vocabulary to expect. This primes your brain. You’re no longer reading cold — you’re reading with purpose.

Minute 2 — Question (PR002): Paste the opening paragraph. AI generates 5-7 questions across four types: factual (what/when/who), analytical (why/how), evaluative (so what/is this valid), and connection (how does this relate). These questions transform passive reading into a scavenger hunt. You’re not just absorbing — you’re hunting for specific answers.

Minutes 3-4 — Read: Read the article with your questions in mind. Don’t stop to take notes. Don’t highlight obsessively. Just read through once, letting the questions guide your attention. Two minutes is enough for articles under 1,000 words. For longer pieces, skim strategically — you know what you’re looking for.

Minute 5 — Review (PR005): Write your understanding in one sentence. Then let AI check it: Is my summary accurate? What are the key takeaways? What questions remain? This consolidation step is where memory forms. Skip it, and you’ll forget most of what you read by tomorrow.

💡 Pro Tip

The one-sentence summary is the secret weapon. Force yourself to capture the article in a single sentence before asking AI for help. This effort — the struggle to compress — is what creates the memory trace. Don’t skip to AI feedback without trying first.

The Three Prompts in Detail

PR001 (Survey) works because it activates prior knowledge. When AI tells you “this is probably about X, and you likely know Y already,” your brain starts connecting the new information to existing mental models. Research shows this activation dramatically improves comprehension and retention.

PR002 (Question) creates what psychologists call “desirable difficulty.” Reading to answer questions is harder than passive reading — and that difficulty is exactly what makes it more effective. The question types ensure you engage at multiple levels: surface facts, deep analysis, and connections.

PR005 (Review) leverages the testing effect. Retrieving information (writing your summary) strengthens memory more than re-reading or highlighting. The AI feedback catches errors before they solidify into false memories.

For the complete SQ3R system with all 5 prompts, see SQ3R Reading Method with AI (C007). For more time? Try the 10-Minute Routine (C028) or 15-Minute Routine (C029).

📌 Tracking Your Habit

Keep tracking simple. A tally in your notes app: “Did I do a 5-minute reading session today?” Don’t track comprehension scores, word counts, or articles completed. The habit matters more than the metrics. Once the routine is automatic (usually 2-3 weeks), tracking becomes optional.

When to Use This Routine

Not every article deserves a routine. Save it for content you actually want to remember: professional reading you’ll need to act on, topics you’re actively learning, content you plan to discuss or share with others.

Skip the routine for entertainment reading, quick news scanning, and anything you’re reading purely for pleasure. Routines add friction — that’s the point. But friction should serve a purpose. Don’t turn leisure reading into homework.

The 5-minute routine is the entry point. Once it becomes automatic, you’ll naturally expand to longer routines for denser content. Start here. Build the habit. Then level up.

Explore more reading routines in the Reading Coach pillar or start with the complete AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, for most articles under 1,500 words. The 5-minute routine optimizes for comprehension of main ideas, not total recall of every detail. Research shows that strategic pre-reading (survey + questions) dramatically improves retention even with faster reading. For longer or denser texts, use the 10-minute or 15-minute routines instead.

Skip PR002 (Question Generator) if rushed — it’s the most optional. PR001 (Survey) takes 30 seconds and dramatically improves focus. PR005 (Review) takes 30 seconds and is essential for retention. At minimum, do Survey + Read + Review. Questions are a bonus that deepens comprehension.

No — save it for articles you actually want to remember. Casual browsing doesn’t need a routine. Use the 5-minute routine for: professional reading you’ll need to act on, topics you’re trying to learn, and content you plan to discuss or share. Skip it for entertainment reading or quick news scanning.

Keep it simple: a tally in your notes app, a habit tracker like Streaks, or a single line in your calendar. Track completion, not perfection — “Did I do a 5-minute reading session today?” is enough. Don’t track comprehension scores or word counts. The habit matters more than the metrics.

365 Articles • RC Questions

5 Minutes a Day. 365 Days of Growth.

Build a sustainable reading habit with articles calibrated for the 5-minute routine. Understand more, remember more, read consistently.

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Daily Practice Routine-Friendly Length Habit Building

Start Your 5-Minute Habit Today

Pick one article. Use the three prompts. Five minutes from now, you’ll have understood and remembered more than usual. That’s the beginning.

Join the Course → Next: 10-Minute Routine →

Reading Coach Pillar

15-Minute AI Reading Routine: Deep Understanding & Critical Thinking

February 16, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C029 🎯 Reading Coach Routines

15-Minute AI Reading Routine

Go deep in 15 minutes: full SQ3R plus critical analysis prompts for assumption hunting and evidence evaluation.

6 min read 2 Prompts Guide 3 of 8

PR005 The Consolidation Partner (Review)

After reading — 2 minutes

PR020 The Assumption Hunter

Critical analysis — 3 minutes

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Practice Critical Reading Daily 365 articles across diverse topics — train your assumption-hunting skills with real-world content.

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When Comprehension Isn’t Enough

The 5-minute routine helps you understand what an author says. The 10-minute routine helps you remember it. But neither asks the crucial question: Should you believe it?

The 15-minute reading routine adds critical analysis. It’s designed for persuasive writing — opinion pieces, business cases, research summaries, policy recommendations, and anything else that’s trying to change your mind or guide your decisions.

The extra five minutes come from one addition: assumption hunting. Every argument rests on foundations the author doesn’t state. Finding those foundations tells you whether the argument applies to your situation, where it might break down, and what the author hopes you won’t notice.

The 15-Minute Steps

Minutes 1-3 — Survey & Question: Use PR001 to scan the article and activate prior knowledge. Use PR002 to generate guiding questions from the opening paragraph. This is identical to the 5-minute routine — you’re preparing your brain for focused reading.

Minutes 4-10 — Deep Read: Seven minutes of focused reading. With your questions in mind, read the full article. But add one layer: notice where the author makes claims, uses evidence, or reveals their perspective. Mental note-taking, not physical — you’re looking for the “thesis moment” and the supporting structure.

Minutes 11-12 — Review & Consolidate: Use PR005 to write your understanding and check accuracy. What are the key takeaways? What questions remain? This consolidation step works the same as in the 10-minute routine.

Minutes 13-15 — Critical Analysis: Here’s where the 15-minute routine earns its name. Use PR020 (The Assumption Hunter) to excavate what the author assumes you already believe. What evidence is presented versus assumed? What alternatives weren’t considered? Who would find this convincing, and who wouldn’t?

💡 The Critical Moment

The assumption-hunting step isn’t about proving the author wrong. It’s about understanding the conditions under which their argument holds. An argument can be perfectly valid — for readers who share the author’s assumptions. PR020 helps you see whether you’re in that group.

Why Assumption Hunting Matters

Every argument assumes its audience. A business article might assume you value growth over stability. A health article might assume you have access to certain resources. A political piece might assume certain values. When you share those assumptions, the argument feels obviously true. When you don’t, it feels obviously wrong. PR020 makes these invisible assumptions visible.

“What evidence is presented vs. assumed?” separates fact from belief. Authors often present conclusions as if they flow inevitably from the evidence — but the connection usually requires you to accept unstated premises. Finding the gap between evidence and conclusion is the core critical reading skill.

“What alternative explanations does the author not consider?” reveals the author’s blind spots. Every explanation excludes others. Sometimes the exclusion is justified — the alternatives really are weaker. Sometimes it’s strategic — the author is steering you away from uncomfortable possibilities. You can’t evaluate without seeing what’s missing.

For deeper critical reading techniques, explore the Critical Reading pillar. For the foundation this routine builds on, see the full AI for Reading hub.

📌 The Difficulty Ladder

Progress through the routines: 5 minutes → 10 minutes → 15 minutes. Each level builds on habits formed at the previous level. Don’t jump straight to 15 minutes — the critical analysis step is only effective after you’ve mastered basic comprehension and retention. Start with 5-minute daily practice for 2-3 weeks before graduating.

What Deserves 15 Minutes?

Not everything needs critical analysis. Save the 15-minute routine for content that’s trying to persuade you: opinion pieces and editorials, persuasive business writing, research summaries where the author draws conclusions from data, policy recommendations, and anything you plan to act on or share with others.

Use the 5-minute or 10-minute routines for straight news reporting, factual explainers, entertainment reading, and reference material. The critical lens is powerful, but it’s also work. Apply it where it matters.

The goal isn’t skepticism for its own sake. It’s calibrated trust — knowing when to accept, when to question, and when to seek more information before deciding.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 10-minute routine focuses on comprehension: understanding what the author says. The 15-minute routine adds critical analysis: evaluating what the author assumes, what they didn’t consider, and whether their argument holds up. Use 10 minutes for straightforward information; use 15 minutes for persuasive writing, opinion pieces, or anything you plan to act on.

Not necessarily. The core requirement is Survey (PR001), Read, Review (PR005), and Assumption Hunter (PR020). The Question Generator (PR002) deepens comprehension but can be skipped if you’re short on time. The critical analysis step (PR020) is what makes this the 15-minute routine — don’t skip that.

Opinion pieces and editorials, persuasive business writing, research summaries (especially when the author draws conclusions from data), policy recommendations, and anything trying to change your mind or behavior. Straight news reporting and factual explainers need less critical analysis — the 10-minute or 5-minute routines work fine for those.

Start with the 5-minute routine until it’s automatic (2-3 weeks daily). Then graduate to 10 minutes for a week. Add the critical analysis step (PR020) once you’re comfortable with the base routine. The progression is 5 → 10 → 15, not jumping straight to 15. Each level builds on the habits formed at the previous level.

365 Articles • RC Questions

Think Critically. Read Deeply.

Build assumption-hunting skills with diverse, challenging content. Practice on articles designed to sharpen your critical reading abilities.

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Persuasive Content Critical Analysis Deep Understanding

Ready to Read Critically?

You now have the complete routine ladder: 5 → 10 → 15 minutes. Start at 5, build the habit, and graduate when you’re ready. Deep reading is a skill — practice makes permanent.

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Reading Coach Pillar

10-Minute AI Reading Routine: Clarity, Notes & Recall

February 16, 2026February 9, 2026 by Aakash

C028 🎯 AI Reading Coach 1 Workflow

10-Minute AI Reading Routine: Clarity, Notes & Recall

The sweet spot routine: 10 minutes for full comprehension with notes and a self-quiz to cement retention.

10 min routine Full SQ3R Method Guide 2 of 8

SQ3R The 10-Minute Reading Routine

Complete comprehension workflow

I’m doing a 10-minute reading routine on: “[describe text — title, source, length]” Guide me through each step: **SURVEY (1 min):** Based on title and context: – What is this likely about? – What do I probably already know? – What vocabulary might I encounter? **QUESTION (1 min):** From this opening: “[paste first paragraph]” – Generate 5-7 questions to guide my reading – Include factual, analytical, and connection questions **READ (5 min):** For this passage: “[paste main content]” – What are the key claims? – Where should I slow down? – What’s the author’s rhetorical approach? **RECITE (2 min):** Here’s my recall attempt: [your summary] – What did I get right? – What did I miss? – What should I re-read? **REVIEW (1 min):** Help me consolidate: – 2-3 most important takeaways – How this connects to what I know – What will help me remember this

▶ Watch This Guide

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365 Days of 10-Minute Practice One article per day with the full SQ3R workflow — build unshakable comprehension habits.

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The 10-Minute Steps Breakdown

The 10 minute reading routine is the sweet spot between the quick 5-minute routine and the deep 15-minute routine. It’s long enough to complete the full SQ3R method (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) but short enough to maintain focus without breaks.

Here’s how the 10 minutes break down:

Survey — 1 Minute

Don’t dive into reading cold. Spend 60 seconds scanning the title, headings, first and last paragraphs, and any visual elements. Ask AI: “Based on [title/topic], what is this likely about? What do I probably already know? What vocabulary might I encounter?”

This primes your brain. You’re not starting blank — you’re activating existing knowledge that will help new information stick.

Question — 1 Minute

After surveying, paste the introduction or abstract and ask AI to generate 5-7 guiding questions: 2 factual (what, when, who), 2 analytical (why, how), 2 evaluative (so what, is this valid), and 1 connection question (how does this relate to…).

These questions turn passive reading into active searching. You’re not just consuming — you’re hunting for answers.

Read — 5 Minutes

Now read actively for 5 minutes. This is your core comprehension time. At checkpoints (end of each major section), ask AI: “What are the key claims here? What words carry the most weight? Where should I slow down?”

Five minutes of focused, active reading beats 20 minutes of passive scanning.

Recite — 2 Minutes

This is the step most people skip — and it’s the most important for retention. Close the text. Without looking, write or speak what you remember. Then check against the source.

Ask AI to evaluate your recall: “What did I get right? What did I miss? What should I re-read?” The Recite step is where comprehension becomes memory.

Review — 1 Minute

Consolidate with AI: “What are the 2-3 most important takeaways? How does this connect to other things I know? What would help me remember this in a week?”

This creates memory hooks — connections between new information and existing knowledge that make retrieval easier.

💡 Pro Tip

Run each SQ3R step as a separate AI conversation. Trying to do all five in one prompt creates confusion. Survey → close. Question → close. Read with checkpoints → close. Recite → Review → done.

The Prompts: PR001 Through PR005

The consolidated prompt above combines five underlying prompts from the library:

PR001 (Survey): Pre-reading scanner that helps you survey before diving in.
PR002 (Question): Question generator that creates guiding questions from the introduction.
PR003 (Read): Active reading companion for paragraph-by-paragraph engagement.
PR004 (Recite): Recall tester that evaluates what you remember.
PR005 (Review): Consolidation partner that creates memory hooks.

You can use them individually for even more control, or use the combined workflow above for efficiency.

📌 Weekly Progression

Start with the 5-minute routine (C027) for the first week. Once that feels natural, upgrade to this 10-minute routine. After 2-3 weeks of 10-minute sessions, you’ll be ready for the 15-minute deep routine that adds critical analysis.

When to Use the 10-Minute Routine

The 10-minute routine works best for 800-1500 word articles or single book chapters. For longer texts, run multiple 10-minute cycles with 2-3 minute breaks between. For shorter texts, the 5-minute routine is sufficient.

Use this routine when you need to actually learn and remember the material — not just skim for information. It’s perfect for daily reading practice, improving comprehension skills, and building a consistent reading habit plan.

For the full routine toolkit, return to the AI Reading Coach pillar or explore the full AI for Reading hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

10 minutes is the sweet spot between speed and depth. It’s long enough to do proper SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) but short enough to maintain focus without breaks. Research shows comprehension drops sharply after 15-20 minutes of continuous reading.

The 5-minute routine covers Survey, Question, and Review. The 10-minute adds proper active Reading time with AI checkpoints plus a dedicated Recite step where you test your recall before reviewing. The extra 5 minutes dramatically improve retention.

The 10-minute routine works best for 800-1500 word articles or single chapters. For longer texts, run multiple 10-minute cycles with breaks between. For shorter texts, use the 5-minute routine instead.

Graduate to the 15-minute routine (C029), which adds critical analysis prompts for assumption hunting and evidence evaluation. The 10-minute routine builds comprehension; the 15-minute routine builds critical thinking on top of that foundation.

📚 The Ultimate Reading Course

Build the 10-Minute Habit

365 articles with guided SQ3R workflow — transform your comprehension in just 10 minutes a day.

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1,098 Practice Questions 365 Articles with Analysis 6 Courses + Community

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Deep routines, focus fixes, diagnostics, and progress tracking — master your reading practice.

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AI Reading Coach Pillar

25 Copy-Paste Prompts to Understand Any Article

February 13, 2026February 7, 2026 by Aakash

📋 AI Reading Prompts Library

25 Copy-Paste Prompts to Understand Any Article

Four battle-tested AI prompts that break down confusing passages, map argument structures, reveal significance, and decode dense technical writing — ready to copy and use instantly.

Copy Prompts ↓ ← Back to Prompts Library

4 Prompts 6 min read Beginner

PR006 The Confusion Unpacker

Use when a specific passage confuses you

I’m reading a passage and this part confuses me: “[paste confusing section]” Don’t simplify or summarize yet. Instead: – Identify what makes this difficult (complex syntax, assumed knowledge, abstract concepts, unfamiliar references?) – Break down the logic step by step – Explain any implicit assumptions the author is making – Only then restate the core idea in plain language

PR007 The Argument Mapper

Use for persuasive or argumentative text

PR008 The “Why This Matters” Prompt

Use when you understand words but not significance

I just read this: “[paste passage]” I understand the words but not why it matters. Help me see: – What problem or question is this responding to? – What would change if this idea were true/false/accepted/rejected? – Why might the author have felt this was important to say? – Who cares about this, and why?

PR009 The Dense Passage Decoder

Use for information-dense academic or technical writing

This passage is information-dense: “[paste passage]” Create a layered explanation: – Layer 1: The single core point in one sentence – Layer 2: The 3-4 key supporting elements – Layer 3: The nuances, qualifications, and exceptions – Layer 4: What’s deliberately left unsaid or simplified by the author

▶ Watch This Guide

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Practice Understanding on Real Passages The Ultimate Reading Course includes 365 articles with comprehension questions — perfect practice material for these prompts.

Explore Course →

How to Use Prompts to Understand Articles

You’ve hit a wall. The article in front of you uses words you recognize, but the meaning slips away. Maybe it’s a dense policy analysis. Maybe it’s a research paper with jargon you don’t speak. Maybe it’s an opinion piece where you can’t quite follow the logic.

This is where most readers give up — or worse, skim and pretend they understood. But there’s a better approach: prompts to understand articles that turn AI into a reading tutor, not just a summarizer.

The four prompts above tackle different comprehension problems. The key is matching the right prompt to your specific confusion. Don’t just paste text and say “explain this” — that’s like asking a doctor to “fix me” without describing symptoms.

Clarity Prompts: When the Words Don’t Make Sense

The Confusion Unpacker (PR006) is your first-line tool. It forces AI to diagnose why something is confusing before explaining it. This matters because confusion has different causes requiring different solutions.

Complex syntax? The AI will reorder the sentence structure. Assumed knowledge? It’ll fill in the background you’re missing. Abstract concepts? It’ll ground them in concrete examples. Unfamiliar references? It’ll decode the allusions.

The critical instruction is “don’t simplify or summarize yet.” This prevents the AI from papering over the difficulty with a dumbed-down version that loses nuance. You want understanding, not a watered-down substitute.

💡 Pro Tip

Paste only the confusing section, not the entire article. The more focused your input, the more targeted the explanation. If you dump 3,000 words and say “I’m confused,” the AI has to guess where your confusion lies.

Context Prompts: When You Miss the Point

Sometimes you understand what’s being said but not why it matters. The passage makes claims, presents data, tells a story — but so what? This is a context problem, and the “Why This Matters” prompt (PR008) solves it.

This prompt asks AI to reveal stakes: what question is this responding to? What would change if the idea were accepted or rejected? Who cares, and why? These questions connect isolated facts to a web of significance.

Many readers skip this step and end up with fragmented knowledge — they can parrot what an article said but can’t explain why anyone should care. Context prompts build the connective tissue that makes knowledge useful.

If you want to go deeper into understanding difficult passages, the ELI5 to Expert prompt offers layered explanations that meet you at your current level.

Structure Prompts: When Arguments Are Tangled

Persuasive writing can feel slippery. You sense you’re being led somewhere but can’t quite see the path. The Argument Mapper (PR007) makes the invisible visible by extracting the logical skeleton.

Main claim. Supporting reasons. Evidence chains. Unstated premises. When you see these laid out, you can evaluate the argument’s strength instead of just feeling persuaded or skeptical.

The “visual map if helpful” instruction often produces ASCII diagrams that show how premises connect to conclusions. This is invaluable for complex arguments with multiple layers.

For deeper argument analysis, combine this with the “Teach, Don’t Summarize” prompt, which transforms AI from a compressor to a tutor that walks you through the reasoning.

Density Prompts: When Every Sentence Carries Weight

Academic papers, legal documents, and technical specifications pack maximum information into minimum words. Each sentence builds on the last. Skip one, and you’re lost.

The Dense Passage Decoder (PR009) handles this with layered unpacking. Layer 1 gives you the core point in one sentence — your anchor. Layer 2 adds the 3-4 key supporting elements. Layer 3 reveals nuances and exceptions. Layer 4 surfaces what’s deliberately omitted or simplified.

This graduated approach prevents overwhelm. You build understanding in stages rather than trying to absorb everything at once. It also reveals the author’s choices — what they emphasized, what they downplayed, what they assumed you’d infer.

📌 When to Use Each Prompt

PR006 (Confusion Unpacker): A specific sentence or paragraph makes no sense.

PR007 (Argument Mapper): You need to evaluate whether an argument is sound.

PR008 (Why This Matters): You understand the claim but not its significance.

PR009 (Dense Decoder): Every sentence feels heavy with meaning you might be missing.

Building Your Prompt Toolkit

These four prompts are the foundation, but they’re part of a larger system. The AI Reading Prompts Library contains dozens more for specific situations: vocabulary building, retention checks, genre-specific approaches, and exam preparation.

The goal isn’t to memorize prompts — it’s to develop intuition for what kind of help you need. With practice, you’ll recognize comprehension breakdowns as they happen and reach for the right tool automatically.

Reading with AI isn’t about outsourcing understanding. It’s about having a patient tutor available whenever you hit a wall. The prompts above give you that tutor in your pocket.

Ready for more? Explore the complete AI for Reading hub for workflows covering summarization, critical reading, note-taking, and exam prep — all built on the same principle of prompts that actually work.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best prompts depend on what’s blocking your understanding. Use the Confusion Unpacker (PR006) when a specific passage confuses you, the Argument Mapper (PR007) for persuasive text, the Why This Matters prompt (PR008) when you understand words but not significance, and the Dense Passage Decoder (PR009) for information-heavy academic or technical writing.

These prompts are model-agnostic and work across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot. Claude tends to give more nuanced analysis for long-form text, while ChatGPT is widely accessible. What matters more than the tool is how you prompt it.

Absolutely. After using understanding prompts, try the Vocabulary-in-Context prompts (C006) to learn words in their natural habitat rather than through flashcard memorization. AI can explain connotations, usage patterns, and collocations that dictionaries miss.

📚 The Ultimate Reading Course

Understand Faster. Remember Longer.

These prompts are the tools. The course gives you 365 articles with RC questions, expert analysis, and structured lessons — the practice material that turns comprehension into instinct.

Start Learning →

1,098 Practice Questions 365 Articles with Analysis 6 Courses + Community

Explore More Reading Prompts

You’ve added the core understanding prompts to your toolkit. Next, explore teaching prompts, vocabulary builders, and structured reading methods — all with copy-paste templates.

Join the Course → Next: Teach, Don’t Summarize →

All AI Reading Prompts

Compare Two Articles on the Same Topic: Facts vs Framing

Why Comparing Two Articles Matters

How to Paste Sources Effectively

The Four Comparison Outputs

When to Use Source Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

See Both Sides. Think Clearly.

Continue Building Your Critical Reading Skills

4 More Critical Reading Guides Await

Bridging Inference Prompt: Connect the Dots Between Sentences

What Is a Bridging Inference?

Running the Prompt: What You’ll Get

The Role of Prior Knowledge

When to Use This Prompt

How Bridging Inference Differs from Regular Inference

Frequently Asked Questions

Follow the Logic Automatically

Continue Building Your Inference Skills

6 More Inference Guides Await

Bias Scanner Prompt: Detect Framing, Loaded Language & Missing Views

Types of Bias These Prompts Detect

The Two-Prompt Workflow

What to Do After AI Flags Bias

Frequently Asked Questions

Detect Bias Faster. Read Smarter.

Related Guides

7 More Critical Reading Guides Await

Argument Map Prompt: Claims to Reasons to Evidence

Why Argument Maps Help You Read Better

How the Argument Mapper Prompt Works

Going Deeper with the Assumption Hunter

When to Use Argument Mapping

Frequently Asked Questions

See Structure. Read Smarter.

Continue Building Your Critical Reading Skills

2 More Critical Reading Guides Await

Analogy Builder: AI Prompts for Analogies That Make Ideas Stick

Why Analogies Work

The Prompt: Bridge to Familiar Ground

Three Types of Analogies

Common Pitfalls

Combining with Other Prompts

Frequently Asked Questions

Build Transfer Skills Daily

Continue Building Your Comprehension Toolkit

2 More Comprehension Guides Await

AI Reading Diagnostics: Find Your Weakness

Why Self-Diagnosis Matters

The Self-Assessment Test (PR038)

The Habits Reflection (PR039)

Frequently Asked Questions

Diagnose. Practice. Improve.

After Diagnosis: Track & Improve

Know Your Weakness. Fix It.

Active Reading Prompts: Stay Engaged with Every Paragraph

What Is Active Reading (and Why You’re Probably Not Doing It)

Two Prompts, Two Purposes

The Checkpoint Method: How to Stay Focused

When to Go Deeper with PR010

Example: Applying the Prompts to Real Text

Building the Habit (Without These Prompts)

Frequently Asked Questions

Focus Is a Skill. Build It with Practice.

Continue Building Your Reading Toolkit

Explore More Reading Prompts

Accuracy Check: Verify the Summary Against the Text

The Problem with Blind Summaries

Two-Step Verification

What Verification Catches

When to Use Verification

Limitations of AI Verification

Frequently Asked Questions

Accurate Understanding, Verified Daily

Continue Building Your Summary Toolkit

2 More Summary Guides Await

5-Minute AI Reading Routine

Why a 5-Minute Routine Works

The 5-Minute Steps

The Three Prompts in Detail

When to Use This Routine