ART OF

QUESTIONING
AND FRAMING
QUESTIONS
Orlando I. Guerrero

 To question well is to
teach well. In the
skilful use of questions,
more than anything
else, lies the fine
art of teaching.

- Earnst Sachs

Purpose for Asking

Questions

Assessing
cognition
Verification
Creative thinking
Evaluating

Purpose for Asking

Questions

productive
thinking
motivating
instructing

Uses of Questions
stimulate thinking
motivate
diagnose difficulties
discover interests
help organize and
evaluate

Uses of Questions

relate pertinent experiences to the

lesson
focus attention to the key points of
the lesson
develop new appreciations and
attitudes

Uses of Questions

show relationships, such as cause

and effect
encourage the application of
concepts
encourage peer evaluation

Types of Questions
1. Soliciting - Asks for
information
Example:
Which of the materials conduct energy?
Who is the father of Economics?

Types of Questions
2. Directing- Proposes the course of
action to take.
Example:
How can you reach the town one hour earlier?
How can an electromagnet be made stronger?

Types of Questions
3. Evaluating - Calls for weighing
evidences or assessing the effect of
some factors or condition
Example:
Why did the insects die in a tightly-closed
container?
Why do wet clothes dry faster on a sunny day?

Types of Questions
4. Responding - Asks for something be
done
Example:
Which part of a book will you consult for the meaning
of some terms?
What should you do so that you will get the correct
answer in doing math word problems?

A good question is
Simple and clear
Definite
Challenging and thought provoking
Adapted to the age, abilities, and
interests of the students
Require an extended response

COGNITIVE PROCESS
DIMENSIONS
Revised Blooms Taxonomy

Levels of questioning
Revised BLOOMS
TAXONOMY
COGNITIVE DOMAIN

CREATING
EVALUATING
ANALYSING

APPLYING
UNDERSTANDING
REMEMBERING

Original
Terms

Evaluatio
n
Synthesis
Analysis

New Terms
Creatin
g
Evaluatin
g
Analysin

Application

g
Applying

Comprehension

Understanding

Knowledge

Remembering

Remembering:
Recall or retrieve previous learned
information
Key Words: defines, describes, identifies,
knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines,
recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, states
Technologies: book marking, flash cards,
rote learning based on repetition, reading

Sample Question Stems

Who?
Where?
Which one?
What?
How?
Why?
How much?
How many?
When?

Remembering:
Example:
1. In the area of physical science, which one of
the following definitions describes the term
polarization?
A. The separation of electric charges by friction.
B. The ionization of atoms by high temperatures.
C. The interference of sound waves in a closed
chamber.
D. The excitation of electrons by high frequency
light.

Remembering:
Examples:
1. Alin sa mga sumusunod na sektor ang
namamahala sa pagpoproseso sa mga hilaw na
materyal upang maging isang produkto?
a. Agrikultura b. Industriya c. Paglilingkod d.
Impormal na sector
2. Ano ang tawag sa dami ng produkto na
handa at kayang ipagbili ng mga prodyuser?
a. Demand
b. Ekwilibryo
c. produksyon
d. supply

Understanding:
Comprehending

the meaning,
translation, interpolation, and
interpretation of instructions and
problems. State a problem in
one's own words.

Understanding:
Key Words: comprehends, converts,
defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains,
extends, generalizes, gives an example,
infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts,
rewrites, summarizes, translates
Technologies: create an analogy,
participating incooperative learning, taking
notes, storytelling, Internet search

Sample Question Stems

What does this mean?

Which are the facts?
State in your own words.
Is this the same as ?
Give an example.
Select the best definition.
Condense this paragraph.
What would happen if ?

Sample Question Stems

This represents . . .
What seems to be ?
Is it valid that ?
What seems likely?
Show in a graph, table.
Which statements support ?
What restrictions would you
Outline . . .
What could have happened
next?

EXAMPLE

Understanding:

Which one of the following statements

contains a specific determiner?
A. America is a continent.
B. America was discovered in 1492.
C. America has some big industries.
D. Americas population is increasing.

EXAMPLE

Understanding:

Which one of the following describes what takes place in the

so-called PREPARATION stage of the creative process, as applied
to the solution of a particular problem?
A. The problem is identified and defined.
B. All available information about the problem is collected.
C. An attempt is made to see if the proposed solution to the
problem is acceptable.
D. The person goes through some experience leading to a general
idea of how the problem can be solved.
E. The person sets the problem aside, and gets involved with some
other unrelated activity.

Understanding:
EXAMPLE
Alin sa mga sumusunod na pahayag ang pinakawastong
interprestasyon sa kasabihang There isnt enough to go around
ni John Watson Howe?
a. May limitasyon ang pinagkukunang-yaman kayat hindi ito
sasapat sa pangangailangan ng tao.
b. Ang walang pakundangang paggamit ng pinagkukunangyaman ay hahantong sa kakapusan
c. Walang hanggan ang pangangailangan ng tao gayundin ang
pinagkukunang-yaman
d. May hangganan ang halos lahat ng pinagkukunangy-yaman
sa buong daigdig

Applying:
Use a concept in a new situation
or unprompted use of an
abstraction. Applies what was
learned in the classroom into
novel situations in the work
place.

Applying:
Key Words: applies, changes, computes,
constructs, demonstrates, discovers,
manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts,
prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves,
uses
Technologies:collaborative learning,
create a process, blog, practice

Sample Question Stems

Predict what would happen if ...
Choose the best statements that
apply.
Judge the effects of
What would result ?
Tell what would happen if
Tell how, when, where, why.

Sample Question Stems

Explain why a character acted in
the way that he did.
Do you know of another instance where ?
Can you group by characteristics such as ?
Which factors would you change if?
What questions would you ask of?
From the information given, can you develop a set
of instructions about ?

Applying:
EXAMPLE

Which one of the following memory systems

does a piano-tuner mainly use in his
occupation?
A. Echoic memory
B. Short-term memory
C. Long-term memory
D. Mono-auditory memory

Applying:
EXAMPLE
Bilang isang mag-aaral, alin sa mga sumusunod ang
nararapat na gawin kung maliit lamang ang baon na ibinigay
ng iyong magulang?
a. Bilhin ang nararapat bilhin at humingi na lamang kapag
kulang na ang salapi
b. Bilhin ang nararapat bilhin at tipirin ang mga bagay na
hindi naman mahalaga
c. Bilhin ang dapat bilhin at tipirin ang sarili sa lahat ng
pagkakataon
d. Bilhin ang nararapat bilhin at hayaan na lamang ang
mangyayari kinabukasan

Analyzing:
Analyzing: Separates material or
concepts into component parts so that
its organizational structure may be
understood. Distinguishes between
facts and inferences.

Analyzing:
Key Words: analyzes, breaks down,
compares, contrasts,diagrams,
deconstructs, differentiates,
discriminates, distinguishes, identifies
illustrates, infers, outlines, relates,
selects, separates
Technologies:Fishbowls, debating,

Sample Question Stems

What is the function of ?

Whats fact? Opinion?
What assumptions ?
What statement is relevant?
What motive is there?
What conclusions?
What does the author assume?
State the point of view of
What ideas apply?

Sample Question Stems

Which events could not have
happened?
If happened, what might the
ending have been?
How is similar to ?
What do you see as other possible
outcomes?
Why did changes occur?
Can you explain what must have
happened when ?

Analyzing
Example:
Directions: Read the following comments a teacher made about
testing. Then answer the questions that follow by circling the
letter of the best answer.

Students go to school to learn, not to take tests. In

addition, tests cannot be used to indicate a students
absolute level of learning. All tests can do is rank
students in order of achievement, and this relative
ranking is influenced by guessing, bluffing, and the
subjective opinions of the teacher doing the scoring.
The teacher-learning process would benefit if we did

Analyzing
Example:
Which one of the following unstated assumptions
is this teacher making?
A. Students go to school to learn.
B. Teachers use essay tests primarily.
C. Tests make no contribution to learning.
D. Tests do not indicate a students absolute
level of learning.

Ayon sa batas ng demand, alin sa sumusunod na pahayag ang

malinaw na magpapaliwanag ng graph tungkol sa ugnayan ng
presyo at demand ng mga konsyumer?
Presyo
2
1

Dami
2

a. Kaunti ang mabibili ng mga konsyumer kapag mataas

ang presyo
b. Maraming mabibili ang mga konsyumer kapag
mataas ang presyo
c. Habang tumataas ang presyo, bumababa ang demand
ng mga konsyumer
d. Habang tumataas ang presyo, tumataas ang demand

Evaluating:

Evaluating:

Make
judgments about the value of
ideas or materials

Evaluating:
Key Words: appraises, compares,
concludes, contrasts, criticizes,
critiques, defends, describes,
discriminates, evaluates, explains,
interprets, justifies, relates,
summarizes, supports
Technologies: survey, blogging

Sample Question Stems

What fallacies, consistencies,
inconsistencies appear?
Which is more important,
moral, better, logical, valid,
appropriate?
Find the errors.
Judge the value of
What do you think about ?

Sample Question Stems

What changes to would
you recommend?
Do you believe ?
How would you feel if ?
How effective are ?
What are the consequences of?

What influence will have on our lives?

Evaluating
Judge the sentence in italics according to the criteria
given below:
The United States took part in the Gulf War against
Iraq BECAUSE of the lack of civil liberties imposed on
the Kurds by Saddam Husseins regime.
A. The assertion and the reason are both correct, and
the reason is valid.
B. The assertion and the reason are both correct,
but the reason is invalid.
C. The assertion is correct but the reason is incorrect.

 Example

Evaluating:

Sinasabing nakatuon ang ekonomiks sa pag-aaral sa ibat-ibang

aspekto ng pagdedesisyon ng mga tao. Bakit kailangang gumawa
ng mga desisyon ang mga tao araw-araw?
a. Ang mga desisyong ginagawa ng mga tao ay nakapagdudulot ng
katugunan sa kanyang mga pangangailangan at kagustuhan
b. Ang mga desisyong ginagawa ng mga tao ay nagiging sukatan ng
kanyang kakayahang paunlarin ang kanyang pamumuhay
c. Nagsasagawa ng mga desisyon ang mga tao dahil may kakayahan
siyang mag-isip hindi gaya ng ibang nilalang
d. Likas sa tao ang paggawa ng sariling desisyon simula pa ng
magkaroon ng buhay sa mundo

Creating:
Builds a structure or pattern from
diverse elements. Put parts together to
form a whole, with emphasis on
creating a new meaning or structure.

Creating:
Key Words: categorizes, combines,
compiles, composes, creates, devises,
designs, explains, generates, modifies,
organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs,
relates, reorganizes, revises, rewrites,
summarizes, tells, writes
Technologies: Create a new model, write

Sample Question Stems

Can you design a to?
Can you see a possible solution to ?
If you had access to all resources, how would
you deal with ?
Why dont you devise your own way to ?
What would happen if?
How many ways can you?

Sample Question Stems

Can you create new and unusual uses for

?
Can you develop a proposal which
would?
How would you test ?
Propose an alternative.
How else would you ?
State a rule.

Creating
Which one of the following propositions is most essential
to the final conclusion?
A. Effective self-evaluation does not require the use
of tests.
B. Tests place students in rank order only.
C. Test scores are influenced by factors other than
achievement.
D. Students do not go to school to take tests.

Creating:
Example
Alin sa mga sumusunod ang pinakaangkop na kahulugan ng Ekonomiks
kung ang pagbabatayan ay ang konsepto ng kakapusan?
a. Ito ay tumutukoy sa pag-aaral upang matugunan ang walang
katapusang pangangailangan at kagustuhan ng tao
b. Ito ay tumutukoy sa pag-uugali ng tao na nakaaapekto sa kanyang
pagdedesisyon
c. Ito ay ang pag-aaral ng tao at ng lipinan kung paano haharapin ang
mga suliraning pangkabuhayan
d. Ito ay masusing pagpapasya ng tao sa pagtugon sa mga suliraning
pangkabuhayan na kanyang kinakaharap

Framing Questions
1. Multiple Choice Test
A multiple choice item consists of a problem,
known as the stem, and a list of suggested solutions,
known as alternatives. The alternatives consist of one
correct or best alternative, which is the answer, and
incorrect or inferior alternatives, known as
distractors.
-

Sample multiple-Choice Item

Suggestions For Writing MultipleChoice Test Items

1.The stem should be meaningful by
itselfand should present a definite problem.
World War II was:
A. The result of the failure of
the League of Nations.
B. Horrible.
C. Fought in Europe, Asia,
and Africa.
D. Fought during the period
of 1939-1945.

In which of these time period

was World War II fought?
A. 1914-1917
B. 1929-1934
C. 1939-1945
D. 1951-1955
E. 1961-1969

Suggestions For Writing MultipleChoice Test Items

Suggestions For Writing MultipleChoice Test Items

2.The stem should not contain

irrelevant material.
Irrelevant Material
While ironing her
formal dress, Jane
burned her hand
accidently on the hot
iron. This was due to a
transfer of heat be ...

Better Stem
Which of the following
ways of heat transfer
explains why Jane's
hand was burned after
she touched a hot iron?

Suggestions For Writing MultipleChoice Test Items

3.The stem should be negatively stated only
when significant learning outcomes require it.

Undesirable
Which of the following is
not cited as an
accomplishment of the
Aquino administration?

Desirable
Which of the following is
NOT cited as an
accomplishment of the
Aquino administration?

Performance Test Items

During the medieval era over 98% of the
European population was Christian. Due to this
overwhelming support of the religion there was a
shift in power between kings and popes. For this
task you are creating a comic strip which depicts
one of two situations of this shift of power from
kings to the popes. Using the story of
Charlemagne and Pope Leo III or King Henry IV
and Pope Gregory VII create a comic strip that

Performance Test Items

Your comic strip must include
1. A title.
2. At least 6 different comic slides which tells
one of the two stories. Each slide must contain
a colored picture and dialogue.
3. A retelling of the story.