mere question mark could indicate confusion, disagreement, a feeling of lacking information—any one of a dozen things. When you write out your question you render the discomfort exactly. This is important for two reasons. First, it sharpens your readerly attention now. Having formulated what’s bothering you, you have it clearly in your mind, and so when you return to the text you will be readier to note anything that answers your question or eliminates your confusion. Second, it’s a mnemonic device: the written-out question allows you at some later point to recapture what you were experiencing
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