Final answer:
The reader looks for the essence of the material in a paragraph during the summarizing step in the top-down reading process, similar to the survey step in the SQ3R process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The step in the top-down reading process where the reader looks for the essence of the material in a paragraph is known as summarizing. It involves quickly examining the paragraph to identify key facts, ideas, opinions, dates, and perspectives. This step is similar to the survey step in the SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) process.