Instead of simply identifying features and thinking about how they contribute to your (pre-existing) understanding, could you unlock meaning by asking a question? Imagine you were in the audience, listening to an interview with the author, what would you ask them if you could? What would you ask of a classmate, if they had first-hand experience of the issue at hand? What specific question would you ask a professor to help you understand the meaning?

High-quality responses demonstrate adept critical reflection, a concept that can be challenging to grasp. Merely exerting more mental effort is often unhelpful; alternative approaches are needed. Encouraging critical thinking involves offering diverse interpretations, including those that contest the prevailing understanding of the text. Once you have an understanding of what you think the text means, ask yourself: could it be interpreted differently?