Asking some questions is considered being active. Thinking about activities first before acting on them is one key point of critical thinking. The Mercury Reader defines reading as consuming information with our eyes. This defintion corresponds with the defintion in this paper. The style a person reads is usually a personal preference.
Some people use active reading and learning.
Active reading and learning involves the person to do more than read the information. A person actively makes revisions, fills in gaps with suggestions, and describes good and bad points within the paper. Passive reading and learning is more for enjoyment. This style of reading and learning allows the person the skim and discard unwanted information. The Mercury Reader describes elements to help build critical thinking skills.