Bloom's Taxonomy

Competence

Skills Demonstrated
Knowledge
  •    observation and recall of information
  •    knowledge of dates, events, places
  •    knowledge of major ideas
Question Cues

list, define, tell, describe, identify, show, label, collect, examine, tabulate, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.

Comprehension

  •   understanding information
  •    grasp meaning
  •    translate knowledge into new context
  •    interpret facts, compare, contrast
  •    predict consequences

Question Cues:

summarize, describe, interpret, contrast, predict, associate, distinguish, estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend

Application
  •    use information
  •    use methods, concepts, theories in new situations
  •   solve problems using required skills or knowledge

Questions Cues:

apply, demonstrate, calculate, complete, illustrate, show, solve, examine, modify, relate, change, classify, experiment, discover

Analysis
  •   seeing patterns
  •   organization of parts
  •    recognition of hidden meanings
  • identification of components

Question Cues:

analyze, separate, order, explain, connect, classify, arrange, divide, compare, select, explain, infer

Synthesis
  •    use old ideas to create new ones
  •    generalize from given facts
  •    relate knowledge from several areas
  •    predict, draw conclusions

Question Cues:

combine, integrate, modify, rearrange, substitute, plan, create, design, invent, what if?, compose, formulate, prepare, generalize, rewrite

Evaluation
  •   compare and discriminate between ideas
  •    assess value of theories, presentations
  •    make choices based on reasoned argument
  •   verify value of evidence
  •   recognize subjectivity

Question Cues

assess, decide, rank, grade, test, measure, recommend, convince, select, judge, explain, discriminate, support, conclude, compare, summarize

 

Developing Questions

Using

Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's taxonomy provides a hierarchical way of organizing cognitive processes. There are six major categories, each which builds upon the previous Let's assume that you will have a test about the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears."  Do you remember the story line? - Goldilocks visits the home of the papa, mamma and baby bear where she sleeps in their bed, eats their food and breaks their chairs.

On the chart below you have been given an example of one question from each level. It is your job to add one more questions is each category. Notice that the questions get progressively more "difficult." They cannot be answered with single word answers at the upper levels. Also note that simple memorization will not suffice to answer the "higher level" questions. Rather, careful thought is required to formulate a decent response.

Knowledge:

1.What are some of the things that Goldilocks did in the bear's house?

2.

Comprehension:

 

1.Why did Goldilocks like the little bear's chair best?

2.

Application:

1.If Goldilocks had come into your house, what are some of the things she might have used?

2.

Analysis:

1.What parts of the story could not have actually happened?

2.

Synthesis:

1.How might the story have been different if Goldilocks had visited the three fish?

2.

Evaluation

1.Do you think Goldilocks was good or bad? Why do you think so?

2.