Adler and Van Doren (1972) identified four major levels of reading, which are: elementary reading, inspectional reading, analytical reading, and syntopical reading. The researchers (ibid.) highlighted the importance of naming them levels and not kinds because, according to them, kinds can be distinct from one another while levels denote a notion of embeddedness with lower levels included in higher ones. In other words, levels of reading are cumulative(Kharbach, 2017), and they are:
The Elementary level:
This level is also called initial reading, rudimentary reading, or basic reading. In this level, the readers are more concerned with answering the question : what does the sentence say ? (ibid.)
The Inspectional Level:
This stage is also called pre-reading or skimming. In this level, readers should get the most out of a book within a given time (ibid.). In other words, readers should have a clear idea about the structure of the book, identify what the book is about, and classify the book (a novel, a history, a scientific, etc).
The Analytical Level:
This level is more complex than the preceding levels and represents a thorough and complete form of reading. Analytic reading preeminently for the sake of understanding (ibid.) Synoptical This level is also called comparative reading. This level is the most complex and systematic level of reading.
The Synoptical Level:
A syntopical reader reads different texts on the same subject and compares them to each other to arrive at a holistic and more nuanced understanding of the subject. (ibid.)