Active and critical are two varieties of what kind of skill?

Active and critical refer specifically to types of listening skills. Active listening involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and remembering what is being said, allowing the listener to engage meaningfully with the speaker. It requires the listener to provide feedback, such as nodding or paraphrasing, which demonstrates that they are engaged in the conversation.

Critical listening, on the other hand, involves evaluating the content of the message, analyzing arguments, and forming judgments based on the information presented. This type of listening is crucial in situations where one needs to assess the validity of information or arguments, such as in discussions, debates, or lectures.

The other skills listed—speaking, reading, and writing—do not typically incorporate the dimensions of "active" and "critical" as directly tied to listening. Speaking involves expressing thoughts verbally, reading is the interpretation of written content, and writing focuses on the creation of written material. While these skills can incorporate aspects of active and critical processes, they are not classified in the same way as listening skills. Therefore, the association of "active" and "critical" with listening is the most fitting, making listening the correct answer.