I have recently noticed a strange phenomenon in the world of emails. If I write an email with more than one question, invariably, the respondent will only answer the first question. I have determined that this phenomenon occurs not because my emails are too verbose, but because many people, especially the people we encounter in the business world, never really learned to read properly.

This is interesting to me because I make a living writing materials that are intended to teach exactly this skill. On the state assessment tests I write, one type of question is referred to as “directly stated.” Here is a completely fabricated example:

Billy, a seven-year old boy, went to the museum. He liked the dinosaurs the best.

1. How old is Billy?
A. seven
B. twelve
C. ten
D. dinosaur

When I am writing these questions, I am always astounded that there are children who cannot answer them. But this seems like exactly the same problem adults face when they cannot process more than one question at a time. It’s easy to tell if someone can’t write … but you can never tell if they can’t read, because it’s all internal. I am becoming convinced that a large percentage of the adult population has little-to-no ability to comprehend what they are reading. I guess this explains the success of The DaVinci Code.*

*I have not read The DaVinci Code. I am afraid I would like it too much and thus lose both my indie-cred and a solid go-to punchline that delivers every time.