Faculty Resources

Teaching Resources

Lower Order
Knowledge (Remembering)
These types of questions test the students’ ability to memorize and to recall terms, facts and details without necessarily understanding the concept.
Key Words: Memorize, Define, Identify, Repeat, Recall, State, Write, List & Name
» Examples of knowledge questions

Comprehension (Understanding)
These questions test the students’ ability to summarize and describe in their own words without necessarily relating it to anything.
Key Words: Describe, Distinguish, Explain, Interpret, Predict, Recognize & Summarize
» Examples of comprehension questions

Higher Order
Application (Transferring)
Application questions encourage students to apply or transfer learning to their own life or to a context different than one in which it was learned.
Key Words: Apply, Compare, Contrast, Demonstrate, Examine, Relate, Solve & Use
» Examples of application questions

Analysis (Relating)
These questions encourage students to break material into parts, describe patterns and relationships among parts, to subdivide information and to show how it is put together.
Key Words: Analyze, Differentiate, Distinguish, Explain, Infer, Relate, Research & Separate
» Examples of analysis questions

Synthesis (Creating)
These questions encourage students create something new by using a combination of ideas from different sources to form a new whole.
Key Words: Arrange, Combine, Create, Design, Develop Formulate, Integrate & Organize
» Examples of synthesis questions

Evaluation (Judging)
Evaluation questions encourage students to develop opinions and make value decisions about issues based on specific criteria.
Key Words: Assess, Critique, Determine, Evaluate, Judge, Justify, Measure & Recommend
» Examples of evaluation questions

More About Questions
» Effective Questioning Techniques