Why is it beneficial to underline important statements in textbooks?

Underlining important statements in textbooks is beneficial because it creates a stronger impression of the material being studied. This technique helps to emphasize key concepts, making them stand out visually. As a result, when reviewing, you are more likely to focus your attention on these highlighted points, which reinforces memory retention. Highlighting main ideas also creates a visual hierarchy in the text, allowing students to quickly identify relevant information during later reviews, thus facilitating better comprehension and retention of critical content.

While enhancing visual learning is a positive effect of this technique, the primary advantage lies in the increased focus and depth of understanding that comes from emphasizing the most important information. The practice of underlining also indirectly aids in organizing thoughts for note-taking but is not its main purpose. Additionally, while a neater appearance can be a side effect, the goal is not aesthetics but rather effective learning and memory retention.