Final answer:
True. Effective readers use their prior knowledge to understand new information, leveraging strategies like contextualizing, applying background knowledge, and understanding genre conventions to enhance reading comprehension and critical thinking.
Step-by-step explanation:
True. Effective readers apply what they already know about a subject to comprehend and engage with new information. This technique is known as activating prior knowledge, and it's a critical aspect of the reading comprehension process. When encountering new texts, effective readers use several strategies to enhance understanding, such as contextualizing the material, applying background knowledge, and understanding the genre's conventions. This is exemplified when they come across subjects that are completely new to them - they don't read passively. Instead, readers question, predict, and consult credible sources to build upon their comprehension, moving towards critical analysis and understanding. The Old-before-New principle also helps in guiding readers from familiar to unfamiliar concepts. These strategies are especially important when learning complex subjects like philosophy, where engaging directly with primary sources is essential. By using these methods, readers can bridge the gap between what they know and what they are learning, which enhances not just their reading skills but also their writing and critical thinking abilities.