Everyone hates reading out of a history textbook, right? It takes too much time to go through every assigned page and decide what answers which question in a particular order, and then copy down that answer in your own words for the teacher to grade (because why not). Well, for anyone with reading skills higher than a 2nd grader may have figured out is that many people can skim through a book and retain enough information to sufficiently answer a question on that topic (but only for a short time period; short-term memory, and all that). Not only is this useful for boring LA classes, but you can use this to a great advantage in a history textbook.
Let's say you've come up to a long passage that you have to read and answer 10 questions on. Instead of reading those 15 pages (rough AP length for that amount of questions), just take a moment to glance at each page. Read the words slow enough that you understand them, but fast enough that it doesn't take you over 2 minutes on each page; basically like you're taking the Reading Test on the ACT. After you've finished skimming, reread your questions and see if anything seems familiar to what you just sped read. For instance, if the question was Who was the leader of China in 300 B.C.E and what were some legacies of their rule?, you may remember seeing Emperor Qin but don't remember the legacies. Simply go back to where you thought you saw the relevant information and read it at your normal pace; answer the question as accurately as you can once you're finished. Repeat this process for the next 10 questions, and you'll be done within an hour (I promise, Scout's honor, etc.)
Even though many claim speed reading is a myth, you can use it to your advantage when reading boring subjects in history (or any) class! Go out an try it right now; I bet you'll be finished in the time it took to read this entry (plus 2 or 3 more, give or take)!
-Pharaoh Noh-Tyep
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