Thought Provoking Questioning … Bloom’s Hierarchy

Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning

The Taxonomy of Dr. Benjamin Bloom (1956) is the framework used to develop questions
that progress from concrete to abstract level of thinking. Knowledge involves the identification and
recall of information while comprehension requires the organization and selection of facts and ideas.
High order thinking processes include application, the use of facts, rules, principles, analysis, the
separation of a whole into component parts, evaluation, the development of opinions, judgments or
decisions, and synthesis, the combination of ideas to create something new.

Knowledge - Identification and recall of information

Who, what, when, where, how, describe, list

Comprehension - Organization and selection of facts and ideas

Retell (in your own words)

What is the main idea of _____

Application - Use of facts, rules, principles

How is _____ an example of _____

How is _____ related to _____

Analysis - Separation of a whole into component parts

What are the parts of features of _____

Classify _____ according to _____

Outline/diagram/web

How does _____compare/contrast with _____

What evidence can you present for _____

Evaluation - Development of opinions, judgments or decisions

Do you agree or disagree and why

What do you think about _____

What is the most important____ and why

Prioritize _____ according to _____

How would you decide about _____

What criteria would you use to assess _____

Synthesis - Combination of ideas to form a new whole

What would you predict/infer from _____

How would you create/design a new _____

 What might happen if you combined _____ with _____

What solutions would you suggest for _____

What if _____

What could I substitute for _____

How could I adapt?

How could I modify?

How could I put to other uses?

What if I eliminated a part?

What if I reversed or rearranged?

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives, Process Verbs

Assessable verbs from Taxonomy of Learning and Benjamin Bloom

1. Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize,

name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce, and state.

2. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express,

identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review,
select, and translate.

3. Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ,

illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve,
use, write.

4. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare,

contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish,
examine, experiment, question, and test.

5. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct,

create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare,
propose, set up, and write.

6. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare,

defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value,
evaluate.

Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Evaluation Synthesis

Know Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create

Identify Cite examples Demonstrate Appraise Judge Rearrange

List Differentiate Dramatize Categorize Appraise Assemble

Name Describe Illustrate Conclude Assess Compose

Recall Discuss Interpret Contrast Choose Construct

Recognize Explain Relate Debate Rate Design

Record Discriminate Use Diagram Select Develop

Relate Express Differentiate Validate Formulate

Repeat Give in own words Distinguish Value Produce

between
Underline Interpret Conclude Test Propose

Define Restate Compare Critique Predict

Review Reconstruct

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