Critical reading involves adopting a skeptical attitude, questioning claims, examining evidence, and respecting others. It means scrutinizing arguments to assess their convincingness, being open-minded, and aiming to achieve worthwhile goals. When reading critically, one should skim to get the gist, scan for specific info, read topic sentences to grasp paragraph ideas, and survey at a high level. Key questions to ask include the author's problem, evidence provided, timeliness, scope, certainty, and how accounts differ. The reader should reflect on the author's message, motivation, contribution, and how it relates to other readings.