As seen from the passage, Richard is capable of engaging in a structured reading program, reads constantly and widely, makes lists of books to read, and can summarize a book’s theme simply and concisely. Yet Richard still claims that he is not a reader. The thing Richard cannot do—which he acknowledges in line 86: “I lacked a point of view when I read”—is C, to be able to read with a critical perspective. Logically, this must be the key to making a good reader, since Richard can do the other 4 things but still calls himself a bad reader without C.