Answer these 3 questions...

What's the Main Idea?  Sum up the entire passage in 1-2 sentences.

Why Was the Passage Written?  What is the purpose of the passage?  To inform? To Entertain? To Explain? To Prove Something?

What's the Tone?  Not what was said, but how it was said.  Concerned?  Explanatory?  Expose?  Informative?, etc.

By asking yourself these questions, you'll be oriented in the right directions when you begin to look for information you need to come up with the correct answers to the questions.