In assessing comprehension, which aspect is most associated with higher-order thinking?

• A. Rereading only the first paragraph
• B. Memorizing details
• C. Skipping questions
• D. Analyzing author purpose and text structure

Answer: (D)

Higher-order thinking in reading means analyzing and evaluating what you read, not just recalling facts. When you analyze author purpose and text structure, you’re examining why the writer chose certain ideas and how the organization of sections, headings, and transitions helps guide your understanding. This pushes you to interpret meaning, see how ideas fit together, and judge how the way the text is built supports its message—clear signs of deeper cognitive processing.

Rereading only the first paragraph stays at a surface level, focusing on where information appears rather than why it’s there or how the text is crafted. Memorizing details is about remembering specifics, which is recall rather than analysis. Skipping questions shows a lack of engagement with the material. Focusing on author purpose and text structure, by contrast, requires you to think critically about how the text is constructed to convey meaning.