A short essay can invite an unhurried kind of reading. With fewer pages to cross, it becomes easier to notice how an idea is introduced, qualified and revised. A pencil and a separate notebook provide enough tools for a thoughtful response.
After the first reading, write the central question in your own words. Then choose one passage that seems especially important and note its page or section. Keep any quotation brief and clearly separated from your paraphrase.
On a second reading, look for a complication. The writer may introduce an exception or change the scale of the argument. Record how that move affects your understanding instead of reducing the essay to a sentence that ignores its qualifications.
End your note with a response of your own: an example, a disagreement or a question. Reading closely does not require agreement. It asks that your response engage with what the writer actually says and preserve enough context to remain fair.