Practice At Getting The Gist, continued

Excerpt 1

Researchers have never directly observed the formation or existence of these super-heavy elements. The emission of hydrogen nuclei, presumably from the elements' decay, is the only evidence that the experiments have succeeded.

Gist:
We've never seen whether these things exist, and never seen them formed. But something IS visible that says to us, Yes, they do exist.

Excerpt 1

As usually constituted and manipulated, the pool, which in many venues is simply a compilation of lists of registered voters, is unlikely to yield fair juries, especially since so many potential jurors are excused either at their own request or as a result of peremptory challenges.

Gist:
The normal jury isn't very fair.

Excerpt 3

Now that the body of judicial precedents separating church and state has accreted and calcified to such an extent that it appears to be a permanent and unbreakable barrier, the First Amendment's original purpose of preventing the federal government from impinging on states' rights by establishing a national religion or interfering with the official state churches has been largely obscured.

Gist:
We've lost sight of the original purpose of the First Amendment.

This excerpt is particularly wordy, but it all boils down to a simple concept. Get THAT much, and then see where the author goes with the idea. DON'T STAND STILL! Broader ideas are more important than narrow ones. And that brings us to our fourth, and equally important, critical reading task.