A learner reads through the news item in the newspaper to know specific…

Reading strategies differ in purpose and depth. Skimming means running the eyes quickly over a text to grasp its overall gist or main idea. Scanning means running the eyes over a text purposefully to locate one specific piece of information — a name, date, number, or fact — without reading every word. Critical reading means evaluating and judging a text's argument, reliability, or point of view. A study skill is a broad umbrella term for strategies (note-taking, highlighting, revising) used to learn and retain material generally.

In the scenario, the learner goes through a news item purposefully to find one specific piece of information, not to build a general impression of the whole story and not to judge or evaluate its argument. This purposeful, targeted search for a single detail is exactly the behaviour that the concept above describes.

Checking against each near option confirms this:

• Critical reading would mean judging the writer's argument or reliability — the learner here is not assessing the text, only locating a fact.

• Skimming would mean forming a quick general impression of the whole item — the learner is not after the gist, but one specific detail.

• A study skill is a broad label for general learning strategies (note-taking, revision) and does not name this particular quick, targeted reading act.

So the behaviour described — reading purposefully to pick out one specific piece of information — is scanning.