Skimming is high-speed reading that can save you time and help you get through lots of material quickly. It is different from other kinds of speed reading, such as previewing and scanning. You skim to get the general sense of a passage or book, not specific details. When you skim, you have a general quesion about the whole text, such as "Will this passage be useful to me?" or "What is this writer's opinion?" or "What is the writer's purpose or general idea?