comprehension and critical thinking questions

15 Types of Comprehension Questions (With Examples) for All Levels to Master Any Text

Febriana Ramadhanya

Effective communication hinges on comprehension, which covers the ability to grasp and interpret information. This skill is especially important when it comes to reading, where encountering unfamiliar concepts or deciphering complex passages can be daunting. 

However, recent studies paint a concerning picture, where reading comprehension scores among students are on the decline , especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. This decline translates to a real-world struggle for students to grasp complex information, analyze arguments, and ultimately, think critically.

This is where reading comprehension questions come in. They serve as a valuable tool to assess understanding and ignite student engagement with text and advocate deeper learning.

This guide delves into the various types of comprehension questions, equipping readers with the necessary knowledge and strategies to conquer any reading challenge. By the end of this guide, you’ll be equipped to:

• Craft engaging activities that promote active learning with comprehension questions.
• Utilize visuals and technology to enhance understanding and cater to diverse learning styles.
• Employ formative assessment strategies to identify areas of confusion and adjust your teaching approach.
• Encourage collaborative learning through group discussions and activities.
• Explore a variety of question formats to effectively evaluate different comprehension skills.

Plus, gain access to a free downloadable PDF, containing all the reading comprehension question types covered in this guide. Are you ready to unlock the full potential of comprehension questions in your classroom? Let’s dive in!

Understanding Comprehension Questions

What is a comprehension question.

Comprehension questions, in essence, are queries designed to assess one’s understanding of a text. They are employed in various contexts, including standardized tests, classroom assessments, and even everyday situations where clear information retention is crucial. 

These comprehension questions have various applications in both educational and professional contexts. In standardized testing, they provide a reliable measure of reading comprehension skills across educational levels.

Educators utilize them to gauge student learning and identify areas that require additional instruction, allowing for personalized learning approaches. Even in technical fields like healthcare or engineering, where clear communication is essential, comprehension questions can assess a reader’s ability to grasp complex instructions or technical information.

Benefits of Integrating Comprehension Questions in Classroom Teaching

By effectively answering comprehension questions, individuals demonstrate their ability to:

• Information Extraction: Readers must be able to precisely identify and retain the critical details presented within the text.
• Analysis and Interpretation: Going beyond comprehension, readers engage in critical thinking. They decipher the author’s intended message, underlying themes, and the overall purpose of the text.
• Draw Connections: Comprehension questions encourage readers to establish meaningful links between different ideas and concepts presented in the text, fostering a holistic understanding of the information.
• Knowledge Application: The ultimate aim isn’t just to read and comprehend; it’s to leverage the acquired knowledge in practical scenarios. This transferable skill empowers readers to apply their understanding to real-world situations.

15 Types of Comprehnsion Questions With Examples

Ready to put these tips into action? Download your free, printable set of comprehension questions (covering all 15 question formats!) as a PDF below!

Types of Comprehension Questions

#1 literal comprehension questions.

Literal comprehension questions focus on grasping the surface-level information presented in a text. These questions typically require readers to recall specific details explicitly stated within the passage.

When to Use Literal Comprehension Questions:

• Use when assessing basic understanding of factual information.
• Suitable for readers who are new to analyzing texts or are at an introductory reading level.

Grade Level: 1-3 (Elementary)

• What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
• Where does the story take place?
• How many siblings does the protagonist have?
• What color was the car described in the passage?
• What is the title of the book mentioned in the first paragraph?

#2 Inferential Comprehension Questions

Inferential comprehension questions prompt readers to delve deeper into the text, moving beyond the explicit details to uncover implied meanings and infer conclusions.

When to Use Inferential Comprehension Questions:

• Use when evaluating students’ ability to draw logical conclusions based on evidence from the text.
• Suitable for readers who have a basic grasp of literal comprehension and are ready to infer deeper meanings.

Grade Level: 4-6 (Middle School)

• Why do you think the character chose to keep their decision a secret?
• What might have motivated the protagonist to make such a risky decision?
• Based on the characters’ actions, what can you infer about their relationship with their family?
• What does the author imply about the protagonist’s future plans?
• How do the weather descriptions throughout the story symbolize the protagonist’s emotional state?

#3 Evaluative Comprehension Questions

Evaluative comprehension questions encourage readers to critically analyze the text, form opinions, and make judgments based on the evidence provided.

When to Use Evaluative Comprehension Questions:

• Use when prompting students to consider the text’s themes, values, and moral implications.
• Suitable for readers who have a solid understanding of literal and inferential comprehension and are ready to engage in critical analysis.

Grade Level: 7-9 (High School)

• Do you think the protagonist made the right choice in the given situation? Why or why not?
• How effective was the author in conveying the theme of friendship in the story?
• Did the ending of the book satisfy you? Why or why not?
• Do you agree with the character’s decision to confront their fears? Explain your reasoning.
• How successful was the author in creating a sense of suspense throughout the narrative?

#4 Applied Comprehension Questions

Applied comprehension questions challenge readers to extend their understanding beyond the text and apply it to real-life scenarios or hypothetical situations.

When to Use Applied Comprehension Questions:

• Use when encouraging students to make connections between the text and their personal experiences or the world around them.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to apply their understanding of the text to broader contexts.
• How could the protagonist’s experience relate to a similar situation you’ve encountered in your own life?
• How could the lessons learned by the protagonist be applied to real-life situations?
• What strategies could the characters have used to avoid the conflicts they faced?
• How might the themes explored in the passage relate to current events in society?
• How could the protagonist’s experiences help someone facing similar challenges?

#5 Synthesis Comprehension Questions

Synthesis comprehension questions involve integrating information from multiple sources or parts of the text to form a cohesive understanding.

When to Use Synthesis Comprehension Questions:

• Use when challenging students to analyze and synthesize various elements of the text to gain a deeper understanding of its themes and messages.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in complex textual analysis and interpretation.

Grade Level: 9-12 (Advanced High School/College)

• How does the author use symbolism, imagery, and characterization to convey the theme of identity in the novel?
• How do different themes intersect in the text?
• How do the various subplots contribute to the overall development of the main theme?
• What connections can you draw between this text and other works you’ve read?
• How does the author weave together multiple perspectives to create a unified narrative?

#6 Analytical Comprehension Questions

Analytical comprehension questions require readers to dissect complex ideas, text structures, and literary devices employed by the author.

When to Use Analytical Comprehension Questions:

• Use when prompting students to analyze the author’s craft and literary techniques in depth.
• Suitable for readers who are prepared to engage in detailed textual analysis and interpretation.
• How does the author use foreshadowing to build suspense throughout the story?
• What impact does the author’s use of dialogue have on character development?
• How does the narrative structure contribute to the reader’s understanding of the protagonist’s journey?
• What themes emerge from the recurring motifs found in the text?
• How does the author employ irony to convey deeper layers of meaning?

#7 Creative Comprehension Questions

Creative comprehension questions stimulate imaginative thinking and encourage readers to explore alternative interpretations and perspectives beyond the text.

When to Use Creative Comprehension Questions:

• Use when fostering creativity, originality, and critical thinking skills.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in imaginative exploration and expression
• Rewrite a key scene from the perspective of a different character. How does this change the reader’s understanding of the event?
• Imagine an alternate ending to the story. How would this alter the overall message of the text?
• Invent a new character who could fit seamlessly into the narrative. How would their presence impact the story?
• Design a book cover that encapsulates the central themes and emotions of the text. Explain your design choices.
• Write a letter from one character to another, expressing their innermost thoughts and feelings about a pivotal moment in the plot.

#8 Open-ended Comprehension Questions

Open-ended comprehension questions stimulate discussion and exploration beyond the text, inviting readers to express their opinions, insights, and interpretations freely.

When to Use Open-ended Comprehension Questions:

• Use when encouraging deep reflection, critical thinking, and diverse perspectives.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in open-ended inquiry and discussion.
• What are some possible outcomes or implications of the events described in the passage? How might different characters perceive these events differently?
• How does the author’s use of symbolism contribute to the richness of the text? Provide examples to support your analysis.
• What unanswered questions or ambiguities linger after reading the passage? How do these contribute to the overall impact of the text?
• In what ways does the passage challenge or subvert traditional literary conventions? How does this enhance its significance?
• How might the themes explored in the text resonate with readers from different cultural backgrounds or life experiences? Discuss.

#9 Reflective Comprehension Questions

Reflective comprehension questions encourage introspection and personal connection with the text, prompting readers to consider how the themes, characters, and ideas presented in the text relate to their own experiences, beliefs, and values.

When to Use Reflective Comprehension Questions:

• Use when cultivating self-awareness, empathy, and emotional engagement with the text.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to reflect on their personal connections to the text and its themes.
• How does the protagonist’s journey mirror your own experiences or challenges in life?
• Reflect on a moment in the text that elicited a strong emotional response from you. What aspects of the writing contributed to this reaction?
• Consider the central themes of the passage. How do they align with your personal beliefs or values?
• Has reading this text changed your perspective on any aspect of life or human nature? If so, how?
• Imagine yourself in the shoes of one of the characters. How would you have acted differently in their situation, and why?

#10 Comparative Comprehension Questions

Comparative comprehension questions prompt readers to compare and contrast different texts or viewpoints, analyzing similarities, differences, and underlying themes.

When to Use Comparative Comprehension Questions:

• Use when encouraging critical analysis, synthesis of information, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in comparative literary analysis and interpretation.
• Compare the motivations of two protagonists from different texts. How do their backgrounds and circumstances influence their decisions?
• Contrast the narrative styles of two different authors. How do their approaches to storytelling shape the reader’s experience?
• Compare the themes of love and betrayal in two different works of literature. How do the authors explore these themes differently?
• Analyze the use of symbolism in two poems. How do the symbols contribute to the overall meaning of each poem?
• Compare the societal contexts depicted in two different novels. How do these contexts shape the characters’ beliefs and actions?

#11 Predictive Comprehension Questions

Predictive comprehension questions foster anticipation and speculation about future events or outcomes within the text, prompting readers to make informed predictions based on evidence and foreshadowing provided by the author.

When to Use Predictive Comprehension Questions:

• Use to create anticipation while encouraging critical thinking and engagement with the text’s plot developments.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to make logical predictions based on textual evidence and analysis.
• Based on the character’s actions and the events leading up to this point, what do you predict will happen next in the story?
• How might the protagonist’s decisions affect the outcome of future events?
• What obstacles do you foresee the characters encountering as they pursue their goals?
• What clues or hints in the text suggest possible plot twists or developments?
• How might the resolution of the conflict impact the characters’ relationships and future choices?

#12 Relevant Comprehension Questions

Relevant comprehension questions assess the relevance of specific information within the text to broader themes, contexts, or real-world issues.

When to Use Relevant Comprehension Questions:

• Use when prompting students to consider the text’s implications and relevance to broader social, cultural, or historical contexts.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in critical analysis and application of the text’s themes to real-world issues.
• How does the historical context of the setting influence the characters’ perspectives and actions in the story?
• In what ways does the text reflect or challenge prevailing cultural norms or societal values?
• How do the themes explored in the passage relate to contemporary issues or debates?
• What relevance does the protagonist’s journey have to readers facing similar challenges in their own lives?
• How might the lessons learned by the characters be applied to real-world situations or challenges?

#13 Text Structure Comprehension Questions

Text structure comprehension questions focus on investigating the organizational patterns and rhetorical devices employed by the author to convey meaning.

When to Use Text Structure Comprehension Questions:

• Use when prompting students to analyze the structural elements and rhetorical devices used by the author to convey meaning.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in a detailed analysis of the text’s structure and stylistic elements.
• How does the author use flashback sequences to enhance the narrative structure of the story?
• Analyze the chronological structure of the story. How does the sequence of events impact the reader’s understanding?
• Identify the use of transitions between paragraphs. How do these transitions help to connect ideas and enhance readability?
• Examine the organization of the text into sections or chapters. How does this structure contribute to the overall flow of the narrative?
• Discuss the author’s choice of narrative perspective. How does the point of view affect the reader’s perception of the characters and events?

#14 Language Use Comprehension Questions

Language use comprehension questions analyze the nuances of language and its impact on meaning, tone, and atmosphere within the text.

When to Use Language Use Comprehension Questions:

• Use when prompting students to analyze the author’s choice of language and literary devices to convey meaning and evoke emotion.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in detailed analysis of language and its impact on the text’s meaning and tone.
• How does the author’s use of vivid imagery contribute to the reader’s understanding of the setting and mood in the poem?
• Analyze the author’s use of figurative language in the passage. How do metaphors or similes enhance the reader’s understanding?
• Discuss the author’s use of tone throughout the passage. How does the tone affect the reader’s interpretation of the content?
• Examine the dialogue between characters. How does the author use dialogue to reveal personality traits and advance the plot?
• Evaluate the author’s choice of words and phrases. How does the language contribute to the overall style and impact of the writing?

#15 Cultural Context Comprehension Questions

Cultural context comprehension questions explore the cultural, historical, or societal context that informs the text, prompting readers to consider how these factors influence the text’s themes, characters, and plot developments.

When to Use Cultural Context Comprehension Questions:

• Use when fostering an understanding of how cultural, historical, or societal factors influence the text’s themes and characters.
• Suitable for readers who are ready to engage in critical analysis of the text’s cultural context and implications.
• How does the cultural background of the protagonist shape their identity and experiences in the novel?
• Discuss the cultural traditions depicted in the passage. How do these traditions shape the characters’ identities and relationships?
• Analyze the societal norms portrayed in the text. How do these norms reflect broader cultural attitudes and values?
• Examine the portrayal of diverse cultural perspectives within the narrative. How does the text promote empathy and understanding across different cultural contexts?
• Consider the impact of cultural heritage on the characters’ experiences and worldviews. How does this influence their interactions with each other and the world around them?

How to Enhance Reading Skills & Transform Comprehension Questions into Engaging Learning Experiences

Comprehension questions are a cornerstone of effective reading instruction, but simply asking them doesn’t guarantee active learning . Here’s how to transform comprehension questions into engaging learning experiences that truly elevate your students’ learning journey:

🙋🏻 Interactive Activities: Move beyond static worksheets with simple multiple-choice quizzes and lectures. Craft engaging activities like live polls , quizzes , and open-ended questions that prompt students to actively grapple with the text. This fosters a dynamic learning environment where comprehension is assessed and reinforced throughout the lesson. This approach ensures you’re effectively evaluating different comprehension skills for all your students.

🖼️ Visual Appeal: The human brain thrives on visuals. Incorporate images, draggable diagrams , and even videos into your comprehension questions. This approach goes beyond simply testing reading skills; it encourages students to connect visual information with the text, leading to a deeper understanding.

✏️ Formative Assessment: Regularly assess comprehension throughout the lesson, not just at the end. This allows you to identify areas of confusion early on and adjust your teaching approach accordingly. Use techniques like quick exit tickets or peer discussions to gather real-time feedback.

🤝 Collaborative Learning: Learning doesn’t have to be a solitary endeavor. Encourage student collaboration by incorporating group discussions or activities centered around answering comprehension questions. This fosters peer learning, allowing students to explain concepts to one another and solidify their own understanding.

🎮 Gamified Experiences: Turn comprehension questions into engaging games to captivate students’ attention and foster a competitive spirit. Incorporate elements such as stars , badges , and leaderboards to incentivize participation and reward achievement. Gamifying comprehension activities lets you transform learning into an immersive and enjoyable experience, motivating students to actively participate and strive for mastery of the material.

✍️ Utilize Margin Annotations: Upon answering comprehension question, teach using slide annotations , highlight key points, provide summaries, or draw connections to prior knowledge. This active engagement promotes deeper comprehension and critical thinking skills, fostering a deeper connection with the material and enhancing overall retention.

⏳ Develop Time Management Techniques: Teach students effective time management strategies, such as allocating appropriate time for each comprehension question during assessments. This skill empowers students to navigate tasks efficiently and confidently, reducing test-taking anxiety and allowing them to approach assessments with greater ease and focus.

By employing these strategies, you can transform comprehension questions from passive assessments into engaging learning experiences. This approach keeps students actively involved, sharpening critical thinking skills, and ultimately empowers them to unlock the full potential of every text they encounter.

Final Thoughts

Throughout this guide, we’ve explored the diverse types of comprehension questions and their role in enhancing reading skills. By engaging with these questions, students can sharpen their critical thinking abilities, deepen their understanding of texts, and make meaningful connections with the material.

But, the ultimate goal isn’t just about answering questions correctly, but about encouraging a genuine understanding of the text. This can be achieved by incorporating visuals, technology, and collaborative activities into your lessons. These dynamic approaches not only make learning fun but also empower students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills that extend far beyond the classroom.

Wield these questions effectively, and you’ll witness your students blossom into confident readers, equipped to tackle any text with enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge. So, unleash the power of comprehension questions and embark on a journey of discovery through reading with your students!

About Febriana Ramadhanya

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19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking

Apr 2, 2024

There have been rumblings in different online teacher groups recently about replacing novels with short stories and informational articles in middle and high school English classrooms. I have to admit I was shocked when I first read the comments because I am a book lover at heart, but since then, I’ve considered that there are several pros and cons to this approach.

Short stories and other smaller texts can provide a briefer timeline to complete tasks, and this process is helpful when there is already SO MUCH curriculum to cover. Short stories and related activities can also be more engaging for our students because of the exposure to diverse voices and themes! Using short stories and lessons provides students with amazing choices to meet their needs and preferences!

On the other hand, incorporating mainly short stories and other shorter passages means students’ already-pressed attention spans (as a result of social media influences and pervasive sources of technology) are reinforced. Plus, students miss out on the more complex stories within longer pieces of fiction that are, dare I say, life-altering! A novel can provide opportunities for sustained reading and layers for analysis that shorter pieces of literature like short stories and related texts cannot offer.

Ultimately, no matter where you find yourself on the issue, I think we can all agree that short stories and their counterparts can be vital, effective, and helpful in the modern classroom!

Continue reading for 19 Short Stories and Questions For Critical Thinking!!

Need help with Test Prep ?  Check out this  FREE Pack of 3 Test Prep Activities  to help students achieve success on standardized tests!

Table of Contents

19 Short Stories and Questions – Suggestions for Teaching Them

You don’t need to remove all novels to be able to include short stories and smaller passages like vignettes, articles, and narratives; there’s a time and place for all genres! But if you’re thinking about ways to include more short stories and fun activities, check out this list of 19 varied short stories and critical thinking questions as well as suggestions for teaching them in middle school and high school.

1.  “The Most Dangerous Game” 

“The Most Dangerous Game” is one of my absolute favorite short stories and overall plots to teach! This suspenseful short story by Richard Connell follows the harrowing ordeal of Sanger Rainsford, a skilled hunter who becomes the prey of a deranged aristocrat named General Zaroff. Stranded on Zaroff’s secluded island, Rainsford must outwit the cunning general in a deadly game of survival, where the stakes are life and death. 

SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHING:

• You could focus on the setting (description of time and place) and examine how the setting changes throughout the story.
• Students could learn about the plot (major events in the story) and list the major events and evidence as they read.
• Define foreshadowing (hints for what will happen by the end of the story) and encourage students to hypothesize about what will happen after every page.
• Analyze the character development (how a character changes over time) of Rainsford and highlight his traits/actions as you read along.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:

• How does the setting contribute to the tension and suspense in the story?
• How does the author use foreshadowing? How does the author hint at the danger Rainford is facing?
• What inferences can you make about the main character and the changes he undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story?

If you want to teach plot elements and plot analysis , check out this lesson bundle for the story , which includes comprehension quizzes and a variety of activities!

2.  “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

Ambrose Bierce’s story is a gripping tale set during the American Civil War, where a Southern civilian named Peyton Farquhar faces execution by hanging after attempting to sabotage a Union railroad bridge. As Farquhar falls through the trapdoor, time seems to stretch, and he experiences a surreal moment, only to realize his grim reality. 

Integrating historical texts with other short stories and passages like “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” will make history come more alive and relevant for our students!

• Teach about irony (when the opposite occurs from what is expected) and how it plays a role throughout the story.
• Explain the term characterization (how a character is depicted) by looking at direct and indirect references while reading with your students.
• Discuss the major themes (messages) of the story and how they connect to our modern era within a Socratic Seminar.
• How does the author use characterization to convey Peyton Farquhar’s thoughts, emotions, and motivations?
• What is the purpose of irony in this story? How does its use affect the reader’s interpretation and understanding of events?
• What is the significance in our contemporary/real world of the themes of the story, including reality and fantasy, the passage of time, and the consequences of actions?

Ensure students’ understanding of the story with this set of reading questions that are perfect for state test prep, too !

3.  “The Masque of the Red Death”

This chilling tale from Edgar Allan Poe is set in a secluded abbey where Prince Prospero and his wealthy guests attempt to escape a deadly plague known as the Red Death. Despite their isolation efforts, the guests are confronted with their own mortality as a mysterious figure in a blood-red mask appears.

If you have not read any short stories and poems from Poe, this story is a perfect journey into the horror genre!

• The setting (description of time and place) plays a MAJOR role in the story, so following the Prince from room to room and highlighting the imagery (description that connects to the five senses) is very important when reading.
• If you have not introduced mood  (emotion intended for the reader to experience), this story is PERFECT for delineating its progression from start to finish.
• As students read, you might guide them through identifying various examples of  symbolism  (object, person, or place that represents something else); each room, objects within, and the “antagonist” is symbolic in some way!
• How does the author convey the tone of the story? How would you, as the reader, describe the story’s mood?
• What role does the plot structure (focus on the different rooms) play in shaping the reader’s understanding of the story?
• What is the purpose of the symbolism in the story such as the clock and the masked figure?

Check out this EASY-TO-TEACH bundle , you can practice with your students, so they will feel more confident analyzing higher-level language in “The Masque of the Red Death!”

4.  “The Cask of Amontillado”

Another chilling tale from Poe is the classic story “The Cask of Amontillado.” This one is set during Carnival in an unnamed Italian city. The plot centers on a man seeking revenge on a ‘friend’ he believes has insulted him. If your students are anything like mine, they will relish the ending particularly!

This is just one more of Poe’s short stories and tales that will capture the mind of every reader!

•  As you plan for this short story, be sure to encourage your students to analyze the changing setting (description of time and place); following Fortunato from scene to scene will help your students track what is really going on.
• This story is the perfect moment to teach about dialogue (conversation within someone=internal and/or between someone and someone/thing else=external); Montresor certainly means more than what he SEEMS to say!
• You might also offer a mini-lesson on the 3 types of irony and how each plays a role in the story: verbal (when a person says the opposite of what is really intended), situational (an action occurs that is the opposite from what the reader expects), and dramatic (a character expects a result, but the opposite occurs and the audience can tell what will happen)!
• Describe Montresor. What are his motives and personality?
• What inferences can you make about Montresor’s mindset based on his dialogue?
• What is the purpose of the family’s motto and the carnival atmosphere? 

Check out this Short Story Activity & Quiz Bundle for Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” which contains questions and answers modeled after various reading standardized tests as well as pre-quiz reading comprehension questions, graphic organizers, and a writing activity to get students thinking critically about this classic short story involving REVENGE!

Want 7 more teaching ideas for one of Poe’s epic short stories and questions to go with it? Click below!

5.  “To Build a Fire”

This story by Jack London describes the treacherous journey of a man through the harsh Yukon wilderness during extreme cold. Despite warnings and the company of a loyal dog, the man’s arrogance and underestimation of nature’s power lead to a tragic end.

Short stories and ideas related to survival in nature are still relevant today! Who knows when you might get lost on a hike or crashland in no man’s land?

• This story is PERFECT for a bit of  literary analysis  (examining the impact of various ideas, elements, or themes within a piece of literature); you could hone in on literary devices, characterization, theme, etc.!
• Integrating clips from survival shows will help students see connections to the world and extend their thinking by comparing (recognizing similarities) and contrasting (recognizing differences) varied experiences!
• Write a short narrative about surviving 24 hours in a different setting (description of time and place).
• How does the author use irony? Provide an example and explain. 
• What real-world connections can be made between this story and our contemporary life? 
• What is the story’s message about preparedness and respecting nature?

Grab these engaging short stories and activities to make teaching this Jack London story stress-free!

6.  “The Cactus”

Told from the point of view of a young man at his former lover’s wedding, the narrator retells their story. Like most of O. Henry’s short stories and texts, this one has a twist that involves the titular cactus plant.

The ending will end in a bit of fun for your students!

• Introduce diction (word choice) and its impact within the story by hyperfocusing on specific words within the story . Students can look up definitions, locate synonyms, create their own sentences, replace the words, etc.
• Investigate twist endings (unexpected finish to a story); before reading the end of the story, ask students to guess why the girl “rejected” him. Some students may know the answer before reading it!
• Describe the main characters. What similarities and differences are evident? How does this affect the story’s action?
• What inferences can you make about Trysdale and his feelings about love and marriage?
• What are the real and symbolic meanings of the cactus?

This resource packed with questions and answers, graphic organizers, and writing activities is sure to get your students thinking about this love story driven by misconceptions.

7.  “After Twenty Years”

This tale of friendship and betrayal focuses on the reunion of two old friends after twenty years apart on a New York City street corner. As they reminisce, something is revealed that demonstrates the reality of their bond as well as the choices they’ve made in life.

If you have not read O. Henry’s short stories and incorporated character analysis yet, this is your chance! The story is not long and can be completed in one to two class periods!

• Sometimes, we ask students to visualize (create a picture) in their minds, but why not give them the opportunity to use their artistic skills to draw the two characters?
• As students read, annotate for a description of each character; then, students can do a character analysis (investigation of the characters’ similarities and differences).
• What type of irony is used in the story? How does its use affect your interpretation and understanding of the story?
• How does the urban setting contribute to the mood of the story?
• What is the story’s message about friendship and loyalty?

Examine the links between loyalty and duty with this set of resources designed specifically for this O. Henry story.

8.  “The Lottery”

“The Lottery” is the quintessential short story for middle school or high school English! Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” tells the story of an annual ritual that takes place in a seemingly idyllic town. When the townsfolk gather for the lottery drawing, a shocking turn of events demonstrates the dark side of human nature and their ties to (outdated) traditions.

• Introduce the terms suspense (uncertainty and/or excitement leading up to a major event) and tension (anxiety or uneasy feelings experienced by characters). While reading, identify evidence that relates to each of these concepts and chat/write about their impact on meaning and plot.
• Teach title (the name of the text) analysis. The title of “The Lottery” is perfect for teaching the impact of the title and audience expectations. Before reading, students may write what they believe the story will be about based on the title. After reading, students can complete a quick write responding to their previous expectations! You can do a text analysis for all short stories and poems!
• What role does the plot structure play in building suspense and tension? (Consider the revelation of the lottery’s ‘prize’ in particular.)
• What social commentary is being made through the story and its characters?
• Describe Mr. Summers, Tessie, and Old Man Warner. What does the story reveal about their role in the community and their feelings about the lottery?

Give yours elf a breath of fresh air with this NO PREP curriculum that integrates test prep within the teaching of literature by using Shirley Jackson’s quintessential story!

9.  “The Pedestrian”

This Ray Bradbury story follows a lone walker in a futuristic society in which everyone else is consumed by technology, particularly the television. One evening, the walker encounters a police car that questions his unusual behavior and the end is quite unexpected! (Most of Bradbury’s short stories and texts connect to the future and technology in some way!)

• This story exemplifies Dystopian Literature (texts that include a supposedly perfect future society marred in some way by governmental or societal oppression). Using this story to introduce this type of literature is always fun for students because they will easily make connections to other dystopic short stories and poems!
• Teach about mood (the emotional impact of a story’s description/action). The goal is to get students to deepen their critical thinking skills by recognizing how the mood changes and the purpose for that change!
• How does the author use foreshadowing and suspense to build the mood of the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How might it connect with our current world?
• What similes and metaphors does Bradbury use to describe the community and its members? What is notable about these comparisons?

With this resource about Bradbury’s “The Pedestrian,” you can just print and teach the lesson and activities with EASE! 

10.  “The Gift of the Magi”

This 1905 story by O. Henry relays a tale about a couple struggling to make ends meet. Throughout the story, they both figure out gifts to buy one another for Christmas and realize what love truly means!

• Review character traits (how a character is depicted internally and externally). Log the traits of each character within the story and how they are important to the meaning of the story.
• Extend (move beyond the text) critical thinking skills by encouraging students to think and write about other people. If they had $1,000 to spend on someone else, how would they spend the money and why?

• How would you describe Della and Jim, and their relationship?
• What values do the characters have, when you consider their actions and decisions?
• Explain how dramatic irony is used in the story. Is it necessary? Is it effective? Why or why not?

This tale is a great addition to your short stories and questions unit around the winter holidays! Save yourself time at that time of the year with this lesson bundle . 

11.  “The Monkey’s Paw” 

“The Monkey’s Paw” is a classic horror story about the White family who come into possession of a mystical monkey’s paw that grants three wishes. Despite warnings, they use it and then face devastating consequences as a result.

• Teach about the elements of the horror/suspense genre (Ex. Scary movies are typically dark, stormy, surprising, morbid, etc.).
• Create a thematic statement (message relayed by the text in a complete sentence). There is no perfectly created theme (message) unless it is directly stated by the author; however, students can create a theme by supporting their ideas with evidence from the story!
• What is the main theme of the story? Or how does the author communicate the themes of greed or fate? Is one stronger than the other?
• Are Mr. and Mrs. White more alike or different from one another? How do you know?
• Should we be afraid of the unknown? What message does the story share? Do you agree or disagree?

Examine W.W. Jacobs’ classic story with this set of questions and answers along with rigorous reading and writing activities . While it is ideal for a spooky season, the story is valuable for its ability to hook readers any time of year!

12.  “Lamb to the Slaughter” 

This classic story with a killer plot twist is about a woman who kills her husband and gets away with murder thanks to cooking a leg of lamb!

• You could introduce the plot elements (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), encourage students to identify major events to fit each element and write down textual evidence to support their ideas.
• Complete a film analysis (examination of film techniques and their effects) to compare/contrast the short story with the classic Alfred Hitchcock television episode.
• What is Mary Maloney’s state of mind? Does it remain the same or does it change throughout the story? Explain.
• Is the resolution of the story satisfying? Why or why not? Why do you think the author ended it as he did?
• How does irony contribute to the theme of deception in the story? Explain.

Spice up your middle school English or high school English class with this short stories and activities bundle for Dahl’s famous story!

13.  “The Tell-Tale Heart” 

Poe’s classic psychological thriller is narrated by an unnamed protagonist who insists on their sanity while recounting how they murdered an old man. The narrator is haunted by the sound of the victim’s beating heart, which ultimately drives him to confess to the crime despite not originally being a suspect. 

• Teach symbolism (object, person, or place that represents something else) by focusing on the heart and eye . The author used these symbols in various ways!
• Investigate psychology (the study of the human mind) as a part of the story. Determine what is fact and what is fiction within the narrator’s mind.
• What does the story reveal about the human psyche?
• What is the deeper meaning of the two key symbols in the story – the beating heart and the eye of the old man?
• What role do the narrator’s inner thoughts play in the development of the plot?

This Short Story Comprehension Bundle offers quick (and effective!) ways to assess students’ learning and understanding of the story. It’s easy to use and will no doubt save you time too!

14.  “The Scarlet Ibis” 

Emotional short stories and their counterparts have a place as well in English classrooms! This short story by James Hurst about two brothers is a heartbreaking must-read. Through flashbacks, the unnamed narrator tells the life story of his younger sickly brother William Armstrong, who is nicknamed Doodle. And the end…well, you’ll see.

• Define and explain the purpose of a flashback (referring back to the past within a story). Think about the implications of never thinking back on the past or always thinking about the past.
• Complete a comparison chart between Doodle and the Ibis as you read along. Then, students can create a visual of each after they have ready by using their own evidence!
• What is the meaning of the story’s title and the presence of a scarlet ibis in the story?
• What is the central theme of the story? How do the events of the story support this chosen theme?
• How does the author use personification for the storm? What effect does this have on the story?

This flexible resource features critical thinking questions and answers as well as writing and reading activities for students to explore Hurst’s heartbreaking story.

15.  “The Veldt” 

This science fiction story by Ray Bradbury was first published as “The World the Children Made” and it is quite fitting as a title! The story focuses on a futuristic world in which a video screen can be controlled and it turns out to be more than simple virtual reality! By the story’s conclusion, the world the children made is the downfall of their parents. 

• Compare and contrast “The Veldt” with “The Pedestrian,” two short stories and dystopic texts by Ray Bradbury. Analyze the similarities and differences of both short stories and create a thematic statement that connects to both texts!
• Make connections to our current reality in the 21st century. Locate research about the implications of technology on young people and integrate this information as you discuss this short story.
• How does the author address the theme of technology versus humanity in the story? Do you agree with this commentary? Why or why not?
• How does the nursery reflect the personalities of Wendy and Peter in this story?
• Do you know the story of Peter Pan and his friend Wendy? What connections can you make between it and this story by Ray Bradbury?

Ray Bradbury’s classic short stories and similar passages are the BEST to teach in middle and high school English! With so much to dive into, they are sure to be a hit with your students. Grab this set of activities to extend your students’ engagement with rigorous reading and writing activities about “The Veldt.” 

16.  “The Necklace” 

A woman who longs for a life of luxury and elegance beyond her means faces consequences when she loses a borrowed necklace. Guy de Maupassant’s story ends with a twist that has the reader question the value of material possessions. 

• I love comparing this short story with O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi.” You might choose to focus on the theme, characterization, setting, etc.
• Summarize (writing about the main idea with details) each chunk of the story as you read with your students. Instead of asking students to write a paragraph, you could ask students to create each summary in only one sentence.
• The story explores vanity, deception, and the consequences of striving for social status. Which theme do you think is the most important? Explain with support from the story.
• Is Mathilde Loisel a likable character? Does this change during the story? Does it matter if the reader likes her? Why or why not?
• What clues does the author provide throughout the story that foreshadow the twist at the story’s end?

Focus on the standards with this Short Story Lesson Bundle for “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant!

Need help with implementing activities for “The Necklace?” See below!

17.  “A Vendetta” 

Guy de Maupassant’s late-19th-century story is all about REVENGE. A mother is obsessed with creating a plan to avenge her son’s murder and she then puts the plan into action with a morbid outcome.

• There are so many texts that involve REVENGE! Why not use this concept as a focus for a thematic unit (texts linked to a similar concept and/or message)? You could read “A Poison Tree,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “Lamb to the Slaughter” as well as “A Vendetta” with the intention of writing about all 4 for a comparison/contrast paper, presentation, or seminar.
• Analyze the development (how a character changes over time) of the mother and the dog throughout the story; you might annotate for similarities and differences as well as their motivations!
• What comment is the story making about the nature (or need) for justice? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
• What similes and metaphors does the author use to communicate the main character’s feelings about the vendetta?
• How does the author use details to explain the main character’s thoughts, feelings, and motivation?

Add these activities for this lesser-known work to your short story plans. It’s sure to keep things fresh for your short stories and activities unit! 

18.  “Thank You, Ma’am” (also known as “Thank You, M’am”)

This heartfelt story by Langston Hughes tells the story of Luella, an older woman in the neighborhood, who is nearly robbed by a young man named Roger. In response to Roger, Luella brings him back to her home and treats him with an abundance of kindness, which has a profound effect on Roger.

This tale is at the top of the list for the BEST short stories and passages for upper middle and younger high school students!

• Introduce perspective and/or point of view (how a story is told: 1st, 2nd, 3rd omniscient, 3rd limited, 3rd objective). Students might rewrite the story from another perspective or extend the story using the perspective of one of the main characters.
• Review plot elements with a focus on the exposition (introduction to the characters, setting, and conflict), climax (highest point of interest/turning point of the story), and resolution (how the story is concluded and/or resolved in some way.) You could assign an activity surrounding each concept: visualization of the scene, a journal response to the event, or a short response focused on how the element is important to the overall theme!

• Do you believe in second chances? What does the story say about second chances? 
• How might the climax of the story also be seen as the turning point in Roger’s life?
• How would you describe Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones? Are her actions expected or unexpected in the story? Consider from Roger’s and the reader’s point of view.

Click to check out all of the details for this BUNDLE with differentiated options , which includes a Test Prep Quiz (with varied options), Venn Diagrams, Graphic Organizers, and Writing Responses!! 

19.  “Click Clack the Rattle Bag”

This short story by Neil Gaiman is creepy and fun in the best ways possible! The narrator is taking care of his girlfriend’s little brother and walking him to bed when the child asks for a story. Instead of the narrator sharing a story, the boy shares about the Click Clacks who drink their prey and leave behind rattling bodies. The end is too good to be missed!

Short stories and plots like those in “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” will most certainly engage even your most struggling learners!

• We all know that test prep can be tough as many reading passages are, well, boring! Why not accomplish some test prep with your students and incorporate 5 standardized test-related questions ? You could focus on theme, structure, order of events, characterization, etc.!
• Help students make inferences (acknowledging and hypothesizing about the impact of details that are not directly referenced or stated) as the scene moves along. Students can analyze the change in the setting, the little boy himself, the story the boy is telling, and specific phrases from the story.
• What details in the story contribute to its eerie atmosphere or mood? Or what figurative language devices does Neil Gaiman use to create a sense of suspense in the story? 
• How does the author use ambiguity in the story? Is it effective or not? Explain.
• What inferences can you make about the relationship between the narrator and the young boy?

This “Click Clack the Rattle Bag” Quiz Pack for middle and high school students uses the Common Core standards and contains questions and answers modeled after various state standardized tests! Make teaching this amazing short story by Neil Gaiman SIMPLE & EASY!

Why should we incorporate more short stories and activities in our teaching?

While I would never advocate replacing all novels with short stories and smaller texts, there is still something to be said about spending quality time with short stories and excerpts. 

Including short stories and standards-based activities is an ideal option to improve reading comprehension and develop skills, especially in middle and high school English classes!

SHORT STORIES AND ACTIVITIES RESOURCES: 

This  Short Stories and Test Prep Questions ULTIMATE BUNDLE with Lessons, Quizzes, and Activities uses the Common Core standards with reading comprehension QUESTIONS and ANSWERS for 18 short stories such as “The Most Dangerous Game,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “After Twenty Years,” “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Veldt,” “The Lottery,” “The Pedestrian,” etc. modeled after various state reading exams.

Make teaching short stories and activities SIMPLE & EASY!

Just PRINT & TEACH with engaging short stories and lessons!!

Need more fun ideas for teaching short stories and corresponding activities? Check out my store Kristin Menke-Integrated ELA Test Prep !

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Critical Thinking Reading Comprehension Worksheets

• Take these as online quizzes here!

Short Story Reading Comprehension Worksheets

• Beginning Level
• Answers for this series are included at the end of each worksheet.
• "My Friend" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 74 words.
• "My House" - Low Beginning. 3 answer choices. 7 questions. 92 words.
• "Time to..." - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 89 words.
• "My Family" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 6 questions. 90 words.
• "Rainy Day" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 78 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 116 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 96 words.
• "Seeing Stars" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 92 words.
• "I Fly" - Low Beginning. 4 answer choices. 4 questions. 113 words.
• "The Drive" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 120 words.
• "Zach's Animals" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 104 words.
• "Griffin's Talents" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 112 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 170 words.
• "An Adventure" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 177 words.
• "Running" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 5 questions. 148 words.
• "Paul Cooks" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 112 words.
• "Bella Hides" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 135 words.
• "First Prize" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 155 words.
• "What Number?" - Mid Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 154 words.
• "The Interview" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 205 words.
• "Julian's Work" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 194 words.
• "Talia's Special Day" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 204 words.
• "One Hundred Dollars" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 273 words.
• "New Shoes for Maddy" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 223 words.
• "The 20" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 256 words.
• "Big City Noise" - High Beginning. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 238 words.
• Intermediate Level
• "By the Water" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 225 words.
• "A Cold Day" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "Vet Emergency!" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Late" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 284 words.
• "The Brenners" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 297 words.
• "Bullied" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 197 words.
• "The New School" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 14 questions. 286 words.
• "The Park" - Low Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 297 words.
• "Worth Working For" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 280 words.
• "The Rent Man" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 215 words.
• "Time with Grandpa" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 237 words.
• "The Bus Driver" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 294 words.
• "A Day Like No Other" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 305 words.
• "A Mystery" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 247 words.
• "Just One Touch" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 15 questions. 326 words.
• "Wanga" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 340 words.
• "Ana Finds an Apartment" - Mid Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 408 words.
• "Guermo's Surprise" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 9 questions. 372 words .
• "Canopy of Nature" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 8 questions. 332 words .
• "Blizzard in Birmingham" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 319 words.
• "A Christmas in March" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 385 words.
• "Bail" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 301 words.
• "Clean Water Act" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 632 words.
• "BB" - High Intermediate. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 511 words .
• Advanced Level
• "The Mini Problem" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 291 words .
• "Flower Power" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 368 words.
• "Seeing Clearly" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 284 words .
• "Accused" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 285 words.
• "City Girl" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 13 questions. 429 words.
• "Fried" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 235 words.
• "Tattoo" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 350 words.
• "The Transfers" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 381 words.
• "Wild" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 493 words.
• "Scorpion" - Low Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 333 words
• "Remains of a Marriage" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 11 questions. 345 words.
• "Museum Hours" - Mid Advanced. 4 answer choices. 10 questions. 179 words.
• "Seeing Through" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 10 questions. 326 words.
• "Ursula Pugh" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 8 questions. 324 words.
• "Dreams" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 357 words.
• "Tracks" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 11 questions. 531 words.
• "Love Train" - High Advanced. 5 answer choices. 12 questions. 646 words.
• "The Storm" - High Advanced. 4 answer choices. 12 questions. 407 words.

Informational Passages Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about information they have read about a specific topic. each passage reads similar to a newspaper of journal article, and provides interesting information about some aspect of history, nature, mechanics, science, art, and more. questions involve critical thinking with a focus on logic and inference..

• Answer Key - This answer key is available but still under development.
• "The Sun" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Gas" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Music" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Birds" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Heart" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Butterfly" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 50 words.
• "Pigs" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Brain" - Low Beginning. 3 questions. Under 50 words.
• "The Ocean" - Low Beginning. 7 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Trees" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Alligators" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "The Blow-Dryer" - Low Beginning. 5 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Green Grass" - Low Beginning. 6 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Taste" - Low Beginning. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Bees" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Frogs" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Beds" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Humans" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Fish" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Houses" - Mid Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Soda Pop" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Tea" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Ice Fishing" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Bears" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Flags" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Leonardo Da Vinci" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words..
• "Tennis" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Dogs" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Money" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Abraham Lincoln" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Corn" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Umbrellas" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Ben Franklin" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Cars" - High Beginning. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the intermediate level informational passages.
• "Helicopters" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Yellowstone National Park" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Empress of the Blues" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Cactus" - Low Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Space Exploration Voyagers 1 and 2" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Television" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hibernation and Estivation" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Marco Polo" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Movie Ratings" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Birdsongs" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Counting" - Mid Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Easter Island" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Mosquitoes" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Fingerprints" - High Intermediate. 11 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Mother's Day" - High Intermediate. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Europe" - High Intermediate. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• Answer Key - This is the answer key for to the advanced level informational passages.
• "Chocolate" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Houses Around the World" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Cells" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Soccer" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Bathtubs" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Pollution" - Low Advanced. 12 questions. Under 700 words.
• "Interstate Highways" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Census" - Low Advanced. 10 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Sleep" - Low Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "The U.S. Postal Service" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Chemical Elements" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 800 words.
• "Africa" - Mid Advanced. 11 questions. Under 1000 words.

Technical Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students are asked questions about the meaning, significance, intention, structure, inference, and vocabulary used in each passage. each passage reads like an encyclopedic or technical journal article. answers for worksheets in this section can be found at the end of each individual worksheet..

• "Water" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "Paper" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 300 words.
• "The Flu" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Nuts" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Sun" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The White House" - Beginning level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Soap" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Clocks" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "The Robin" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Hybrid Vehicles" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Photography" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 500 words.
• "Biomimetics" - Intermediate level. 4 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "The Great Debates" - Intermediate level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 400 words.
• "Salt" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Colony Collapse" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Columbian Exchange" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 700 words.
• "Ethanol" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "Generations" - Advanced level. 3 questions with answers included. Under 600 words.
• "The Hubble Telescope" - Advanced level. 7 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.
• "Intellegence Augmentation" - Advanced level. 5 questions with answers included. Under 1000 words.

Role Play Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In these reading comprehension worksheets, students can increase their understanding of colloquial and idiomatic expressions and get a feel for conversational english. they also allow several students to participate at the same time - which makes them really fun great for use in school or at home..

• Answer Key - This is the answer key to the role play worksheets.
• "What Time Is It?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "How Are You?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Tie Your Shoes!" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Glasses?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "A Cookie" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "Where Are My Keys?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 100 words.
• "City Life, Country Life" - Beginning Level. 10 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Flu Shot" - Intermediate Level. 5 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Vinegar" - Intermediate Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Wait for Me!" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Glasses" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Hungry" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Want to Know a Secret?" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Milk and Aesthetics" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.

Dual Version Reading Comprehension Worksheets

In each of these reading comprehension worksheets, the same story is told, but with two versions: one that is basic, and one that is more advanced. this allows students to make direct comparisons between the advanced version to the more basic one, and makes for a powerful learning experience..

• Answer Key - Coming Soon!
• "An Overcast Day" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "Who Knows My Name?" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 200 words.
• "A Call to the Pool" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Oh No!" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "An Adventure" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Happy Birthday" - Beginning Level. 4 questions. Under 400 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 8 questions. Under 300 words.
• "My Family" - Beginning Level. 5 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Driving Directions" - Beginning Level. 6 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Happy Visitor" - Beginning Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "The Singing Bird" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 300 words.
• "Violet Makes a Cake" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "A Visit to the Doctor" - Intermediate Level. 7 questions. Under 400 words.
• "Making Dinner" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 400 words.
• "The Market" - Intermediate Level. 10 questions. Under 500 words.
• "Maria Gets Her License" - Intermediate Level. 8 questions. Under 500 words.
• "A Paper for School" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 300 words.
• "A Birthday Surprise" - Advanced Level. 7 questions. Under 600 words.
• "Getting a New Job" - Advanced Level. 8 questions. Under 600 words.
• "The Dinner Party" - Advanced Level. 9 questions. Under 600 words.

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100+ Critical Thinking Questions for Students To Ask About Anything

Critical thinkers question everything.

In an age of “fake news” claims and constant argument about pretty much any issue, critical thinking skills are key. Teach your students that it’s vital to ask questions about everything, but that it’s also important to ask the right sorts of questions. Students can use these critical thinking questions with fiction or nonfiction texts. They’re also useful when discussing important issues or trying to understand others’ motivations in general.

“Who” Critical Thinking Questions

Questions like these help students ponder who’s involved in a story and how the actions affect them. They’ll also consider who’s telling the tale and how reliable that narrator might be.

• Is the protagonist?
• Is the antagonist?
• Caused harm?
• Is harmed as a result?
• Was the most important character?

• Is responsible?
• Is most directly affected?
• Should have won?
• Will benefit?
• Would be affected by this?

• Makes the decisions?

“What” Critical Thinking Questions

Ask questions that explore issues more deeply, including those that might not be directly answered in the text.

• Background information do I know or need to know?
• Is the main message?
• Are the defining characteristics?

• Questions or concerns do I have?
• Don’t I understand?
• Evidence supports the author’s conclusion?
• Would it be like if … ?
• Could happen if … ?
• Other outcomes might have happened?
• Questions would you have asked?
• Would you ask the author about … ?
• Was the point of … ?
• Should have happened instead?
• Is that character’s motive?
• Else could have changed the whole story?

• Can you conclude?
• Would your position have been in that situation?
• Would happen if … ?
• Makes your position stronger?
• Was the turning point?
• Is the point of the question?
• Did it mean when … ?
• Is the other side of this argument?
• Was the purpose of … ?
• Does ______ mean?
• Is the problem you are trying to solve?
• Does the evidence say?
• Assumptions are you making?
• Is a better alternative?
• Are the strengths of the argument?

• Are the weaknesses of the argument?
• Is the difference between _______ and _______?

“Where” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about where the story is set and how it affects the actions. Plus, consider where and how you can learn more.

• Would this issue be a major problem?
• Are areas for improvement?
• Did the story change?
• Would you most often find this problem?

• Are there similar situations?
• Would you go to get answers to this problem?
• Can this be improved?
• Can you get more information?
• Will this idea take us?

“When” Critical Thinking Questions

Think about timing and the effect it has on the characters or people involved.

• Is this acceptable?
• Is this unacceptable?

• Does this become a problem?
• Is the best time to take action?
• Will we be able to tell if it worked?
• Is it time to reassess?
• Should we ask for help?
• Is the best time to start?
• Is it time to stop?
• Would this benefit society?

• Has this happened before?

“Why” Critical Thinking Questions

Asking “why” might be one of the most important parts of critical thinking. Exploring and understanding motivation helps develop empathy and make sense of difficult situations.

• Is _________ happening?
• Have we allowed this to happen?
• Should people care about this issue?

• Is this a problem?
• Did the character say … ?
• Did the character do … ?
• Is this relevant?
• Did the author write this?
• Did the author decide to … ?
• Is this important?

• Did that happen?
• Is it necessary?
• Do you think I (he, she, they) asked that question?
• Is that answer the best one?
• Do we need this today?

“How” Critical Thinking Questions

Use these questions to consider how things happen and whether change is possible.

• Do we know this is true?
• Does the language used affect the story?
• Would you solve … ?
• Is this different from other situations?

• Is this similar to … ?
• Would you use … ?
• Does the location affect the story?
• Could the story have ended differently?
• Does this work?
• Could this be harmful?
• Does this connect with what I already know?
• Else could this have been handled?
• Should they have responded?

• Would you feel about … ?
• Does this change the outcome?
• Did you make that decision?
• Does this benefit you/others?
• Does this hurt you/others?
• Could this problem be avoided?

More Critical Thinking Questions

Here are more questions to help probe further and deepen understanding.

• Can you give me an example?

• Do you agree with … ?
• Can you compare this with … ?
• Can you defend the actions of … ?
• Could this be interpreted differently?
• Is the narrator reliable?
• Does it seem too good to be true?

• Is ______ a fact or an opinion?

What are your favorite critical thinking questions? Come exchange ideas on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out 10 tips for teaching kids to be awesome critical thinkers ., you might also like.

5 Critical Thinking Skills Every Kid Needs To Learn (And How To Teach Them)

Teach them to thoughtfully question the world around them. Continue Reading

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Lesson of the Day

Over 100 ‘Evergreen’ New York Times Articles With Questions and Activities for Students

Spinning water droplets that seemingly defy physics, chinese researchers have discovered a new way to make water droplets spin, creating a potential new kind of hydropower..

I bet you’ve never seen water do this: twist and turn like a dancer in flight. It happens when a droplet lands on a water-repellent surface with a special pattern. These acrobatic leaps were recorded by Chinese scientists investigating new ways to manipulate water. To understand what they did, let’s step back and see what Isaac Newton had to say about bouncing objects. According to Newton, when an object hits a solid surface, some of the energy of the impact is translated into a rebound. Think of a ball hitting concrete. If the ball travels straight down with no spin, it should bounce straight up again. And it’s the same with a water droplet on a water-repellent surface. Theoretically, the droplet should bounce straight up — no fancy stuff. But the researchers created a pattern of adhesive material on the surface that water sticks to. The water in contact with the sticky patches recoils more slowly than the water touching the repellent surface, and that makes the droplets spin. Change the pattern of the adhesive, and you change the shape of the dancing droplet. The researchers made swirls and half-moons and dotted circles, each of which caused the water to behave differently, sometimes even bouncing sideways. Scientists also showed how the energy of the droplets could be harvested. They set up a magnetically suspended surface. As the droplet landed on the surface and rebounded, it pushed down the plate and caused it to spin. It’s a new kind of hydropower. And at their peak, those droplets are spinning at a whopping 7,300 revolutions per minute. So apart from creating a water droplet ballet, scientists have also found a new way to harvest energy. And their work might help in designing self-cleaning airplane wings. For now, it’s enough to have the pleasure of watching the leaps and pirouettes of those dancing drops.

By The Learning Network

• June 18, 2019

This feature, now renamed “Lesson of the Day,” will resume on Sept. 3, 2019.

The above video is featured in this Article of the Day .

Every school day we choose an important or interesting news or feature story to become our Article of the Day , then write a quick series of questions and activities designed to help students both understand the piece and connect it to their own lives.

Each edition has suggestions for engaging students before they read, comprehension and critical thinking questions to support them as they go, and ideas for taking the topic further when they’re done.

As you might expect, many of our Articles of the Day respond to the big issues and news events of the day. This year, topics included the U.S. midterm elections, the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh and the California wildfires, along with international events like protests and crises in France, Sudan and Venezuela.

But we also try hard to choose pieces as our Article of the Day that are “evergreen”: stories that are interesting in their own right, and that will be powerful, vivid and compelling in the future. From the 181 Articles of the Day we published during the 2018-19 school year, we selected 102 evergreen stories to include in the categorized list below, drawn from the Arts, Sports, U.S., World, Education, Science, Health and Technology sections. We hope some of these articles and their related learning activities can become part of your curriculum.

Have you taught with our Article of the Day feature? Let us know how, and please share any suggestions you might have for making it even more useful, by posting a comment.

Science and Technology

Watch Beatboxers Break It Down Inside an M.R.I. Scanner

This Water Drop, It’s the Greatest Dancer

When Plasma Becomes Another Fruit of the Vine

Adaptive Video Game Controllers Open Worlds for Gamers With Disabilities

3-D Printed Implant Gives Patches the Dachshund a New Skull

Ice Surveys and Neckties at Dinner: Here’s Life at an Arctic Outpost

Chronicles of the Rings: What Trees Tell Us

Pennsylvania Honors the Snot Otter. It’s Not Even the Strangest State Animal.

This Is the Way the Paper Crumples

Did Dietary Changes Bring Us ‘F’ Words? Study Tackles Complexities of Language’s Origins

Under the Influence of a “Super Bloom”

Mercury Is in Retrograde. Don’t Be Alarmed.

Tyrannosaurus Rex: The Once and Future King

In China, This Video Game Lets You Be a Tiger Mom or a Driven Dad

The Hummingbird as Warrior: Evolution of a Fierce and Furious Beak

These Whales Are Serenaders of the Seas. It’s Quite a Racket

Glaciers Are Retreating. Millions Rely on Their Water.

Yes, the Octopus Is Smart as Heck. But Why?

A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy

The Kilogram Is Dead. Long Live the Kilogram!

Why the Wilder Storms? It’s a “Loaded Dice” Problem

The Upshot, Five Years In

These Robots Run, Dance and Flip. But Are They a Business?

These 3 Hurricane Misconceptions Can Be Dangerous. Scientists Want to Clear Them Up.

I Had Finally Found the Right Place for My Son

Rethinking What Gifted Education Means, and Whom It Should Serve

Are Civics Lessons a Constitutional Right? These Students Are Suing for Them

How “Makers” Make the Classroom More Inclusive

Cursive Seemed to Go the Way of Quills and Parchment. Now It’s Coming Back.

“I Feel Invisible”: Native Students Languish in Public Schools

Chinese Girl Finds a Way Out of Tedious Homework: Make a Robot Do It

The School Photo Industry Is a Master Class in Drama

You’ve Conquered the Escape Room. But Can You Escape the Lab?

Running Out of Children, a South Korea School Enrolls Illiterate Grandmothers

Lego Is Making Braille Bricks. They May Give Blind Literacy a Needed Lift.

LeBron James Opened a School That Was Considered an Experiment. It’s Showing Promise.

With Indigenous Languages in Steep Decline, Summer Camps Offer Hope

Inside the Pricey, Totally Legal World of College Consultants

Anne Frank’s Stepsister Meets Teenagers From Swastika Photo

A Pledge to Pay Morehouse College Students’ Debt Prompts Elation, Envy and a Host of Questions

Students in Rural America Ask, “What Is a University Without a History Major?”

It’s a Briefcase! It’s a Pizza Box! No, It’s a Mini Satellite

A Final Proving Ground for Guide Dogs to the Blind: Midtown Manhattan

Harvard’s Admissions Process, Once Secret, Is Unveiled in Affirmative Action Trial

Homelessness in New York Public Schools Is at a Record High: 114,659 Students

The Arts and Culture

A Star Is Made: 12 Performers Show What It Takes to Light Up the Stage in New York City

Lil Nas X Added Billy Ray Cyrus to “Old Town Road.” Is It Country Enough for Billboard Now?

Meet the Creator of the Egg That Broke Instagram

“Mockingbird” Producer Reconsiders, Letting Local Plays Go Forward

He’s 16 Going On Stardom: Meet Broadway’s Next “Evan Hansen”

Stan Lee Is Dead at 95; Superhero of Marvel Comics

Original Big Bird, Caroll Spinney, Leaves “Sesame Street” After Nearly 50 Years

Banksy Painting Self-Destructs After Fetching $1.4 Million at Sotheby’s

Horseback Wrestling. Bone Tossing. Dead Goat Polo. Let the Nomad Games Begin!

"It Was Like a Zoo”: Death on an Unruly, Overcrowded Everest

While Enes Kanter is Observing Ramadan, the World Will Be Watching Him

A Bitter Finish for Slow Runners: Get on the Bus

Grab and Go: How Sticky Gloves Have Changed Football

How to Make a Bucking Bull: Good Breeding and, Just Maybe, a Cow’s Love

No One Has Ever Crossed Antarctica Unsupported. Two Men Are Trying Right Now.

Jackie Robinson Showed Me How to Fight On, Not Fight Back

U.S. Women’s Soccer Team Sues U.S. Soccer for Gender Discrimination

American Politics, History and Civics

Biased News Media or Biased Readers? An Experiment on Trust

Which Box Do You Check? Some States Are Offering a Nonbinary Option

On Instagram, 11,696 Examples of How Hate Thrives on Social Media

Young People Are Suing the Trump Administration Over Climate Change. She’s Their Lawyer.

Cats v. Rats? In New York, the Rats Win

How the Trump Era Is Molding the Next Generation of Voters

How the Supreme Court’s Decision on the Census Could Alter American Politics

Chinese Railroad Workers Were Almost Written Out of History. Now They’re Getting Their Due.

In San Francisco, Making a Living From Your Billionaire Neighbor’s Trash

What’s Wrong With This Diorama? You Can Read All About It

Overlooked No More: Dorothy Bolden, Who Started a Movement for Domestic Workers

“A Woman, Just Not That Woman”: How Sexism Plays Out on the Trail

Beyond College Campuses and Public Scandals, a Racist Tradition Lingers

Coming Soon to a Police Station Near You: The DNA “Magic Box”

Russian 2016 Influence Operation Targeted African-Americans on Social Media

9-Year-Old Boy Helps Repeal Snowball Throwing Ban in Colorado Town

Preserving Black American History Through Song in the Dominican Republic

Bush’s Letter to Clinton Cemented a Presidential Tradition, Historians Say

“Transgender” Could Be Defined Out of Existence Under Trump Administration

Planning to Vote in the November Election? Why Most Americans Probably Won’t

The Confidence Gap for Girls: 5 Tips for Parents of Tween and Teen Girls

How to Be More Resilient

How Big Tobacco Hooked Children on Sugary Drinks

Heroin Addiction Explained: How Opioids Hijack the Brain

Behold the Beefless ‘Impossible Whopper’

For Autistic Boys, the Subway Is Actually Soothing

Disgust vs. Delight: Why Do Certain Foods Turn You Off?

Did Juul Lure Teenagers and Get “Customers for Life”?

Global History, Politics and Culture

Becoming Greta: “Invisible Girl” to Global Climate Activist, With Bumps Along the Way

From Clay Tablets to Smartphones: 5,000 Years of Writing

To Anyone Who Thinks Journalists Can’t Change the World

How China Turned a City Into a Prison

“In Afghanistan, We Laugh Differently”

“Dog Suicide Bridge”: Why Do So Many Pets Keep Leaping Into a Scottish Gorge?

What Lunar New Year Reveals About the World’s Calendars

Where Reindeer Are a Way of Life

Return of African Artifacts Sets a Tricky Precedent for Europe’s Museums

The Courage and Folly of a War That Left Indelible Scars

In a Land of Quakes, Engineering a Future for a Church Made of Mud

Do you want even more evergreen Times articles with related learning activities? Here is our 2017-18 roundup . And here is a list of teaching ideas for how to use our Article of the Day feature in the classroom.

17 Types of Questions for Teachers in the Classroom

Questions are the foundation of almost any class, but knowing when to ask the right ones may require some pre-planning. Educators can use different types of questions in teaching to check on a student’s understanding, spark discussion, or help others learn from their peers.

Of course, you may have the perfect list of questions to ask, but keeping students engaged and talking can become another hurdle. We’ll go over different strategies for designing effective questions and how to handle various situations, such as incorrect answers or silence. Plus, we’ll show you how tech like Poll Everywhere can help you engage your students with interactive presentations and questions .

How to design effective and engaging questions (and get students to respond)

Keeping students engaged while you ask questions designed to measure their level of understanding is an art. Here are some steps you can take to thoughtfully craft different types of questions for your classroom:

Planning what types of questions to ask

• Choose a goal for asking questions: This helps you decide which types of questions used in teaching are best for your needs.
• Decide what course material to base questions on: It’s better to choose content you feel is important to the overall learning objectives noted in your lesson plan.
• Plan critical questions ahead of time: While it’s okay to formulate questions as the class progresses, it’s important to plan questions you deem essential to gauging students’ learning or prompting critical thinking ahead of time.
• Adapt questions to students’ knowledge levels: Make sure your questions challenge your students' understanding of newly presented topics or assess their foundational knowledge—using a diagnostic assessment before and after the semester can help gauge current knowledge.
• Use a variety of question types: Using a variety of question types—even for the same concept—can help students better grasp the course material by prompting them to think about their answers in different ways. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to develop multiple levels of questions for the same topic is helpful.
• Anticipate possible answers: This helps you ensure the phrasing of your question isn’t too vague or misleading, as well as whether the questions match your learning objectives.

Asking questions

• Phrase questions clearly: Ensure your questions are unambiguous and are phrased logically so students don’t misunderstand or end up more confused.
• Allow time to process the question: Don’t be afraid of silence—it likely means your students are contemplating the question and thinking through their responses. You should always wait a moment for students to process the question before rephrasing or assuming they don’t understand.
• Avoid including the answer in your questions: If you’re assessing students’ comprehension, including the answer in your question defeats the purpose and likely won’t encourage engagement.
• Vary the types of questions you ask: By varying the questions you use in your teaching, you can prompt students to think about the material in different ways.

Assessing student responses

• Follow student responses with reflection: A reflective statement (e.g., “It sounds like…” or “What did you mean when you said…?”) helps you show you’re listening and double-check your understanding of the response.
• Ask students to elaborate: Similar to making a reflective statement, you can outright request that a student elaborate on their response. This can help you really dig into their level of comprehension and may also help other students who are listening in by giving them insight into their peers’ thinking processes.
• Know how you’ll handle incorrect answers: Have a game plan in place in case students answer incorrectly. This not only reduces the chance of confusion but also helps you confidently guide the discussion so students can come to the correct answer and understand why their original answer was incorrect.
• Encourage other students to chime in: Turn a one-way conversation into a discussion by inviting others to offer their opinions or state if they agree or disagree (and why).
• Use positive reinforcement: Make students feel confident and glad they responded by smiling, using positive statements, nodding, and making eye contact. This positive reinforcement can help students feel safe when responding—or when asking questions.
• Keep track of who’s responded: While some students are eager to offer their two cents, others may be more reluctant. You can create a more inclusive and inviting discussion by allowing a variety of students to share. If you teach a hybrid class, be sure to include both in-person and remote students as well.

3 strategies for addressing incorrect answers or surface-level understanding

If your students don’t respond with a satisfactory answer, you can take advantage of that time to help students understand what they got wrong and what the correct answer is. Three different strategies for guiding students to a better understanding of the topic include probing, redirecting, and refocusing.

• Probing: The probing strategy encourages students to use critical thinking to analyze their answers. This may involve uncovering relationships by comparing and contrasting different concepts, or instructors can ask students to clarify their ideas by providing examples. Additionally, educators can help students pinpoint assumptions used to justify their answers.
• Redirecting: By using redirection carefully, you can invite other students to correct a peer’s incorrect answers. This strategy also encourages more students to participate in the discussion by asking if they agree with the answer or if they can provide an example to support the answer. Just be sure to lay out ground rules before opening up a discussion based on one student’s thoughts to avoid unnecessary conflict.
• Refocusing: Instructors can refocus students if their answer doesn’t quite fit with the content being discussed. For example, let’s say you ask, “What’s one way our modern food system is making people sick?” and a student responds with, “Doesn’t it encourage us to overeat?”—you might refocus the discussion to discuss how not all calories are nutritionally equal by asking, “Yes, but what if we’re talking about not just caloric intake but nutritional intake as well?”

How to use Bloom’s Taxonomy to craft engaging questions

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework intended to define different levels of learning and help teachers assess student progress. You can use this concept to develop questions that assess students’ levels of understanding. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, there are six different levels of understanding: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create.

Remember, understand, and apply questions are typically used to assess learners’ comprehension to see whether anyone needs additional assistance grasping the course content. Analyze, evaluate, and create questions are more often used to encourage deeper critical thinking and problem-solving, or to spark discussions.

If you start with higher-level questions associated with the analyze, evaluate, and create levels and students aren’t sure of the answer, asking a follow-up question related to the lower levels of remember, understand, and apply can help you judge whether your learners understand the course material or not.

Here are some examples to help you craft your own questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy:

• Can you describe ____?
• When did ____ happen?
• Which is true/false, ____ or ____?
• What does ____ mean?
• How would you show ____?
• How would you compare/contrast ____?
• What’s the main idea of ____?
• What would happen if ____?
• How would you state ____ in your own words?
• Which statements support ____?
• Do you know of another instance where ____?
• What examples can you think of to support ____?
• How would you use ____?
• How would you solve ____ using what you’ve learned?
• What questions would you ask to better understand ____?
• Why do you think ____?
• What conclusions can you draw about ____?
• Why did ____ changes occur?
• What’s the theme of ____?
• How is ____ similar to ____?
• What’s your opinion of ____ and why?
• How would you handle ____?
• Is there a better solution to ____?
• What information would you use to support the view of ____?
• Why was ____ better than ____?
• Can you see a possible solution for ____?
• What alternative can you propose for ____?
• How would you test ____?
• What would you predict is the outcome of ____?
• What new/unique uses can you come up with for ____?

What to do if students don’t respond to questions

Possibly one of the worst nightmares any instructor can have is asking a question and being met with silence. But with a few simple strategies you can turn silence into learning opportunities:

• Rephrase the question: Chances are your students don’t understand the question or aren’t sure what you’re looking for. In this case, rephrasing the question to clarify could help clear up the confusion. For example, let’s say you ask your students, “How would you define a project?” You can reword the question by asking, “In what ways are projects different from processes?”
• Prompt with information: You might be able to jog students’ memories or thinking by providing information or context. For example, if students cannot answer “How do you calculate the circumference of a circle?” you could break the question down by asking “How do you calculate the radius of a circle?”

Why is it important to use engaging questions while teaching?

At a minimum, crafting thoughtful questions can help you judge whether your class comprehends the concepts presented in the course. Additionally, strategically designing questions can improve students’ learning comprehension by helping them think critically and creatively as well as encouraging them to engage with the course content.

Questions, credibility, and feedback are all aspects of communication that can improve student engagement. A 2021 study published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal found a “strong dynamic between the aspects of academic engagement and teacher caring, credibility, feedback, and communication style.” Additionally, one study participant noted that an instructor’s credibility actually improves if they don’t always know the answers to all questions.

17 effective types of questions in teaching

Planning out your questions for each lesson also involves considering what types of questions you’ll ask. There are numerous question types and each one may elicit a different response from students. Here are some more effective types of questions to use in teaching that encourage critical thinking and creativity:

A type of rhetorical question, display questions help educators check on students’ ability to retrieve information.

• How much of the body’s oxygen consumption does the brain account for?
• Who wrote “The Faerie Queene?”

2. Referential

A referential question is used when the person asking the question doesn’t know the answer. These types of questions may be helpful to instructors when gathering student feedback about course materials and activities—or to create personal connections by checking in on how students are doing.

• Overall, do you feel this class was beneficial?
• How was your weekend?

Factual questions, also called explicit questions, call on students to answer using information pulled directly from reading assignments. Educators can use factual questions to understand whether students understand the concepts presented in the readings.

Factual questions are an essential starting point for students to expand on the information they’ve learned with critical thinking.

• Which art movement is Salvador Dali associated with?
• Who designed the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain?

4. Convergent

These types of questions ask students to pull together ideas and information from different sources and synthesize them to create a logical answer. Convergent questions are ideal for problem-solving activities.

• What was the common theme in last week’s reading?
• How would you describe this current event in one word?

5. Divergent

The opposite of convergent questions, divergent questions don’t have a single answer. These types of questions are best used to inspire creative responses and encourage students to consider different points of view, ideas, and scenarios.

• How do you think Edgar Allen Poe would have ended “The Tell-Tale Heart” if his main character didn’t confess?
• How do you think the US might be different if the assassination of John F. Kennedy never took place?

6. Evaluative

An evaluative question requires students to think of a response based on their opinion. These questions can prompt students to think critically about readings or discussions and draw connections to their own experiences or ideals.

• What do you think about Captain Ahab’s mission to find the white whale?
• Do you agree with what the author said in this paper about animal rights?

Open-ended questions are essential to prompt students to think critically about their answers. Open questions can’t be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No,” making them a powerful tool for inspiring discussion.

• What is the main purpose of the United Nations?
• What’s one major breakthrough we’ve had in science over the last 10 years?

Learn more: Marquise McGraw, Ph.D., a professional lecturer at American University, gets students involved in discussions using Poll Everywhere. Find out his personal strategies for engaging everyone —even students who are normally too shy to share—in classroom discussions.

If instructors are trying to get a student to provide more information about their answer, they can use probing questions to prompt students to clarify, justify, or elaborate on their thoughts.

• What information helped you come to that conclusion?
• Who might disagree with your answer?

9. Multiple choice

One of the most common types of questions, multiple-choice questions provide options for students to choose from when answering. Usually, multiple-choice questions have one correct answer, but alternatives include prompting students to choose the option that’s wrong out of a list of correct options or offering an “All of the above” option.

Multiple-choice questions can improve student participation by making it easier for them to respond. Tech like Poll Everywhere further enhances this accessibility by allowing students to answer using their cell phones—or answer anonymously if the instructor chooses to set up the question that way.

• Which project document includes the description, owner, source, priority, and status of product requirements? a) The project charter b) The requirements traceability matrix c) The scope management plan d) The work breakdown structure
• How are tertiary colors created? a) Mixing equal amounts of two secondary colors b) Mixing unequal amounts of two primary colors c) Mixing three primary colors d) All of the above

Focal questions encourage students to pick a side and support their position with logical reasoning. These can be helpful in inspiring students to consider alternative points of view or schools of thought.

• Do you think all US citizens should have to sign up for the draft? Why or why not?
• Do you believe it was within the right of the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade? Why or why not?

Physicist Enrico Fermi is the namesake of the Fermi question, which requires students to estimate an answer based on limited information. You may recognize this type of question from articles covering Google’s unconventional approach to interviewing potential new employees, as Fermi questions require creative thinking and the ability to work through a problem.

• Why are manhole covers round?
• How would you explain how the internet works to a seven-year-old?

Thunk questions are intended to encourage students to pause and look at what might normally be a common, benign concept in a different light. (Fun fact: The term “thunk” is based on the irregular form of the verb “think.”)

• If your pet could talk, what would it say about you?
• What’s the difference between knowing and believing?

13. Hypothetical

Hypothetical questions use the good old “What if…” structure to prompt students to consider a scenario and how they would react or feel. Hypothetical questions inspire creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking.

• What if Europeans never reached North or South America, how would the world be different?
• What do you think life would be like if dinosaurs never went extinct?

14. Ethical

Educators can present students with moral dilemmas using ethical questions. These types of questions don’t have a right or wrong answer but do require students to think critically about why they believe their answer is correct. Ethical questions are excellent discussion starters.

• Do you think countries should be able to claim other planets as their own?
• Should we take care of workers whose jobs are replaced by AI?

15. Application

Instructors can use application questions to encourage students to apply newly gained knowledge related to the course. By using information they’ve learned in class and applying it to real-world situations, students can achieve a higher level of comprehension.

• What are some examples of media bias you’ve seen recently?
• How would you demonstrate Newton’s first law using objects on your desk or in the classroom?
• Using what you know about cognitive bias, how would you design a website landing page that converts leads?

16. Affective

You can encourage students to engage with course content on a more personal level by using affective questions. These types of questions ask students about their feelings toward a topic and how it relates to their values.

Poll Everywhere’s numeric rating scale allows educators to present affective questions in a friendly way. Ask students to rate how they feel about an issue using a scale from one to five, then ask if anyone wants to chime in with the reasoning behind their rating to kick the discussion off.

• How do you feel about the author’s portrayal of Lenny?
• Is the use of imagination in art important to you?

These types of questions are used to gauge your students’ understanding of a topic all at the same time. By using hinge questions, you can decide whether the day’s class should continue going over the topic or if you can move on to the next lesson.

• Which of the following examples represents an allegory?
• Which of the following is an example of soft news?

3 types of ineffective questions to avoid (or use carefully)

Along with the 17 types of effective questions above, there are three more types of questions that can become problematic if not used carefully.

• Binary: Also called a closed question, a binary question is usually answered with “Yes” or No” or variations thereof. These questions typically force students to choose a side and are more effective if there’s no right or wrong answer or if you probe for additional information.
• Leading: Leading questions are problematic because they suggest the correct or desired answer. An example of a leading question is, “How satisfied were you with the class?”
• Loaded: These types of questions include an implicit assumption about the respondent. An example of a loaded question is, “How many times did you cheat on your exams during the semester?”

Poll Everywhere makes gauging student understanding effective and engaging

Getting students to participate in discussions or even ask their own questions is challenging. Designing effective questions based on your desired outcomes or learning objectives keeps you one step ahead of in-class conversations. However, you should also be ready to guide discussions back on topic if students take off on tangents or a respectful debate becomes a heated argument.

Tech like Poll Everywhere can help you present your questions in an engaging format that invites all students to participate. With the ability to ask and share any type of question using Poll Everywhere, including multiple-choice, you can quickly and easily inspire and guide discussions that all students are excited to participate in.

Related articles

Questioning: A Comprehension Strategy for Small-Group Guided Reading

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

In this lesson, the teacher explains the difference between thin (factual) and thick (inferential) questions and then models how to compose question webs by thinking aloud while reading. Students observe how to gather information about the topic and add it to question webs in the form of answers or additional questions. Students practice composing thin and thick questions and monitor their comprehension by using question webs in small-group reading. This practice extends knowledge of the topic and engages readers in active comprehension.

From Theory to Practice

NCREL: Reciprocal Teaching

• Students who answer their own questions show improvement in reading comprehension.
• When students know prior to reading that they each need to think of a question about the text, they read with an awareness of the text's important ideas.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Materials and Technology

• Chart paper and markers
• Highlighters
• Sticky notes
• Text selections

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

• Monitor comprehension by composing thin and thick questions as they read
• Determine the difference between thin (factual) and thick (inferential) questions
• Use graphic organizers effectively to collect information that answers questions
• Participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of whole- and small-group activities

Session 1: Introducing Thin and Thick Questions

Note: If small-group guided reading is a regular routine for your students, the introduction to thin and thick questions could be done in that setting. However, carrying out the following steps is also viable in a whole-group setting.

Session 2: Thin Questions in Small-Group Reading

It is recommended that you do the following activities with one group at a time. Once students are familiar with the routine of investigating what they read with questions, you might try having the entire class work in small groups simultaneously. Varying degrees of scaffolding may be necessary in order to ensure that all learners interact with text actively with questioning. If your schedule dictates that you must move to Session 2 activities with small groups working simultaneously, then a cooperative-grouping situation is recommended where students can take a shared role in interacting with the text. For example, in groups of four, students could all work from the same selection of text. Four roles to facilitate the group could be: one student chooses the chunk of text to read (the longer the text, the bigger the chunk), another reads the chunk aloud, a third records questions and answers, a fourth is responsible for sharing questions and answers with the rest of the class. Before working in small groups

Working in small groups

Session 3: Thick Questions in Small-Group Reading

Before working in small groups

Working in small groups Once again, the routines you established in the thin question activity apply to this thick question activity. Operate in the same way, either in small groups that you manage, or as multiple cooperative small groups.

Have students write in their notebooks reflecting on how question webs can help them understand what they are reading.

After students have investigated their reading material and have asked questions as they progressed, some lingering curiosities may still exist. Direct students to online texts and activities where they might answer any remaining (or new) questions. Possible websites to explore, should they align with your content area topic, include:

• America's Story from America's Library At this Library of Congress website, students can learn about famous Americans, explore American history, find out facts about the 50 states, and more.
• Animal Planet The Main Index Page under "Animals A to Zoo" leads to a categorical listing of many of the world's animals. For each animal, students can read about its geographic range, physical characteristics, food habits, reproduction, behavior, habitat, economic importance for humans, and conservation.
• HowStuffWorks: Science Stuff The Science Stuff page is home to numerous articles dealing with the earth, life, and physical sciences, as well as information on engineering, space, and more.
• Social Studies for Kids Students can find information on a wide variety of social studies topics at this site, including current or historic events, cultures, languages, geography, and archaeology.

Student Assessment / Reflections

Are the questions appropriate to the content area? Do Session 2 question webs reflect an understanding of what thin questions are? Do Session 3 question webs reflect an understanding of what thick questions are? Did the student use the webs successfully in determining or demonstrating answers? (Note, though, that finding answers at this point is secondary to asking questions.) Does the writing exercise from the conclusion of Session 3 show critical thinking about the use of questioning as a comprehension strategy?

• As for students' participation in group activities, your assessment may vary depending on whether you managed the groups individually or if students worked cooperatively in simultaneous groupings. For either scenario, consider what each student's responsibilities were and the significance of his or her contribution to the group.

Read aloud a new text selection. Have 10 questions prepared on a sheet of paper. After students listen to the read-aloud, have them answer and label the questions as either 'thin' or 'thick' and explain why. Make the test worth 30 points (one point for the correct answer, one for the label, and one for answering why it is thin or thick). Include four bonus points for those who write two thin and thick questions on their own about the read-aloud.

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• Kindergarten K

85 Critical Thinking Questions to Carefully Examine Any Information

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The ability to think critically will often determine your success in life.

Let’s face it. Every day, we are bombarded by news, social media updates, and an avalanche of information. If you take all of this at face value, it’s easy to be deceived, misled or ripped off.

That’s why it’s important to  develop a mindset that focuses on critical thinking . This is a skill that needs to be developed in the classroom. But it’s also a valuable life skill.

With that in mind, the following post will share 85 critical thinking questions you can use to increase your awareness about different problems by carefully examining available information. 

Let’s get started…

Table of Contents

What Are Critical Thinking Questions?

Critical thinking questions are inquiries that help you think rationally and clearly by understanding the link between different facts or ideas. These questions create a seemingly endless learning process that lets you critique, evaluate, and develop a depth of knowledge about a given subject. Moreover, you get to reinforce your viewpoints or see things in a new way.

We make decisions every day, whether at work or home. Adopting logical, rational, and practical approaches in addressing various issues requiring critical thinking is essential in decision-making. Therefore, before arriving at a decision, always ask yourself relevant questions and carefully analyze the matter’s pros and cons.

Critical Thinking Questions When in an Argument

When you make an argument using a critical thinking approach, you focus on justified claims that are valid and based on evidence. It helps one establish a strong argument.

• Do I disagree with the other person? Might the person I'm arguing with be misinformed on what they are saying?
• Would I be comfortable saying what I am telling him/her if I was in front of a group of people? 
• What would happen if I lose this argument? Is engaging in this argument worth my time and energy? How will I feel if I lose?
• Is there room for ambiguity or misinterpretation? Are we arguing because I didn't make my point explicit? Should I take my time to understand his school of thought?
• Do I need some rest before saying something? Am I arguing because of other reasons other than the issues at hand? Do I need to take some time and cool down?

• Is it more important that I’m right? Am I trying to ask to prove an unnecessary point?
• Is this argument inductive, deductive, or abductive? Is it a weak or strong argument that I need to engage in? Is it compelling or sound? 
• Is my opponent sincere? Given that they are wrong, are they willing to admit that they are wrong? Can they depend on available evidence, wherever it leads?
• Are my opponents only trying to shift their burden to me? What is the best way to prove them wrong without making them feel bad?
• Are the people I'm arguing with only interested in winning, or are they trying to pass some information across and help me discover the truth?

Critical Thinking Questions When Reading a Book 

When you read a book, you probably ask yourself many “why” questions. Why is this a problem? Why did the character say that? Why is this important? The most challenging part of reading a book is assessing the information you are reading. These questions can help.

• If I learn only two things from this book, what will they be? How will they help me? How will I apply them in my daily life?
• What message are the authors trying to pass across? Are they making suggestions or providing evidence for their arguments?
• Given that almost every book is about solving problems, what is the most prevalent issue that the author is trying to solve?
• What is the author’s writing style? What strategy or master plan does the author employ to convey his/her main ideas throughout the book?
• Do I have background information about the book’s topic? If so, how is what the author is saying different from what I already know?
• What didn’t I understand from the book? Should I re-read the book to understand everything the writer is trying to convey?
• Which sections of the book do I love the most, and why? Generally, do I like this book? Should I look for more books that are written by the same author?
• If I had a chance to meet this book’s author, what questions would I ask him/her? What would I tell the writer about the book? Is it a great book worth recommending to your friends and family members?
• Who are the main characters of the book? If there is only one main character, what overarching goal does the character accomplish?
• In what ways did the protagonist change from the start of the book to the end? What caused the changes? Was the protagonist reckless in some ways? Which ways?

Critical Thinking Questions to Spot a Scam

Asking questions when you feel that a fraud or a scam is being presented to you is a good way to stretch your critical thinking muscles. Are you being emailed or messaged by a stranger? Or maybe there are other red flags you are unsure about. If so, ask these questions.

• Does it seem to be too good to be true? Is this stranger pushy or trying to lure me into making a poor decision?
• When trying out online dating: Is my new “friend” professing strong feelings towards me although we’ve only interacted for a few hours?
• Why is a stranger calling me to ask about my Social Security Number (SSN), personal contact information, or bank details while claiming they are from the bank or a phone company? 
• When buying products online, why does the seller ask me to pay for goods using an insecure payment option like Bitcoin or money order?
• Does the email I have received have any spelling or grammatical errors? Is the language used overly formal or informal?
• If I do a quick search about the exact words of the email I received, does Google indicate it's a fraud or scam?
• Why should a stranger manipulate me using obvious questions like “Would you want to be rich or poor?” While they already know the answer?
• Is the email asking me to download an attachment? Or click a link to some insecure website? 
• Is the person trying to make me feel selfish or guilty for not sending them money, whether for a donation or buying a product? 
• Is the stranger portraying a sense of urgency and using pressure tactics? Are they telling me that their family member needs urgent medical attention?

Critical Thinking Questions About Your Life

It can also help to ask yourself a few critical thinking questions about your life. This way, you can gather basic information and uncover solutions to problems you might not have otherwise thought of.

• Where do I wish to be in a few years, probably two, three, or five years? What short-term and long-term goals should I set?
• What have I achieved so far from the time I set my previous goals? What should I be grateful for?
• Do I have any values that guide me in life? If so, what are these values? Am I always true to these values?
• Am I always worried about what people around me think? Can I act independently without the need to meet social expectations?
• What should people say about me at my funeral? Would they talk about how good I made them feel or how rich and flashy I was?
• If I wasn't afraid of anyone or anything, what would I have done? What if I didn't have any fear in me?
• If today was my last day, what extraordinary thing would I do? Can I do it right now?
• What should I do with the things that matter the most to me? 
• What things will make the greatest difference in my future life if I take action now?
• How should I react when I feel unwanted by the people I love the most? Should I tell them?

Critical Thinking Questions for a Debate or Discussion

When you are in the middle of a debate or discussion, you need to know that what you are saying is fact, have evidence to support your claim, and position yourself as an expert in what you are saying. Here are some critical thinking questions to ask when you are in a debate or discussion.

• Is there fairness in this discussion? Is the moderator supporting one side? Do they want to make one side look stupid or wrong? 
• What is the aim of this discussion? Is there a major problem that needs to be solved? If so, how can I help solve it?
• Who are the people affected by this discussion? If they were here, what would they say?
• Do my views on this discussion matter? If I raise my point, will I be redundant?
• What am I supposed to learn from this debate, and how can I use what I have learned in my daily life?
• Does the audience seem to be biased towards one side? Are they booing one side? What can I do even if it's our opponents being booed?
• Who are the discussion panel members? What views have they held about this kind of discussion or any other related discussions in the past?
• How can I make my point without being ambiguous? Before I speak, should I take down some notes to avoid any confusion during my speech?
• Am I ready to apologize if I make a mistake during the discussion? If so, what are the limits?
• What information does my team, or I need before this discussion? 

Critical Thinking Questions About Lying

Admitting when you are wrong, choosing not to cheat, and sharing constructive feedback are all ways to show your honesty. Here are some critical thinking skills to ask regarding lying.

• Will the lie hurt those I am telling, or will it help them? What if being honest might cause my friend unnecessary pain?
• Should I be the one telling this person a lie, or I let someone else do it? 
• Will I be the one hurt if I tell this lie? Will my friend feel I am a betrayer? Will it affect our friendship?
• Do they answer my questions in detail, or are they always trying to ignore and dodge the main problem?
• What if I ask these people the same question using different terms and wording? Will they give me the same response?
• Did the tone of my friend suddenly change after I asked him/her this question? Do they sound louder, faster, or slower compared to how they usually speak?
• Does this person have something to gain by lying to me? What is their motive?
• Does this person take a sudden pause or hesitate more than usual when responding to my question?
• When I look at these people's faces, do their facial expressions match what they say?
• Should I believe this person or not? What are my intuitions? Does it look like they are telling the truth?
• Do they blink like other days when I ask them questions? Are they always trying to avoid direct eye contact?
• Why do they seem uncomfortable when it’s just a normal conversation?  

Critical Thinking Questions When Presented With a Claim

Critical thinking is much more than just evaluating whether a claim is true or not. It also means a critical thinker reflects on what follows from true claims.

• What does this claim mean, and what are its implications? What if it's a false claim?
• Which of my morals, values, or beliefs do I have to give up to accept this claim?
• Do professionals in this field agree or disagree with the claim that has been made?
• Do they have evidence to back their claim? Which is the most robust evidence to support the claim?
• What argument can I come up with to refute this claim? Or what is the best view that can support this claim?
• Who is the primary source of the claim being made? Is the basis of the claim reliable?
• Is it a claim, or it's just an opinion?
• Is the claim likely to be 100% false, true, or partially true?
• Am I allowed to refute the claim and table my evidence, or is it one-sided?

Critical Thinking Interview Questions

Critical thinking skills are valuable in any industry or field and for almost all roles. During a job interview, you will be asked questions so the potential employer can assess your skills and see how you use logic. Your critical thinking ability is just one vital part that can play into your professional development.

• Is there a time you had to convince someone to use an alternate approach to solve a problem?
• Have you ever had to make a difficult decision quickly?
• How would you handle a situation where your supervisor handled something wrong or made a mistake?
• What is one of the most difficult decisions you have ever had to make at work?
• How would you solve a disagreement between coworkers when approaching a project?
• Can you describe a time when you anticipated a problem ahead of time and took the appropriate steps to stop the problem from becoming an issue?
• If you discover a cheaper way to do something or a better solution to a problem and try to explain it to your supervisor, but they don’t understand, what do you do?

Critical Thinking Questions for Kids

We can’t leave the kids out either. Critical thinking questions for kids get them thinking and talking. It also allows a parent to get to know their child better.

• How many grains of sand do you think are on the beach?
• What would happen if it stopped raining?
• Do you think there is life on other planets?
• Should children be able to set their own bedtimes?
• How would you describe what a tree looks like without saying green or leaves?
• Can you name five different emotions?
• Can you talk for five minutes without uttering “um?”

What Are the Basic Principles of Critical Thinking?

Your critical thinking skills involve gathering complete information, understanding and defining terms, questioning the methods by which we get facts, questioning the conclusions, and looking for hidden assumptions and biases.

Additionally, we can’t expect to find all of the answers, and we need to take the time to examine the big picture of it all.

Here are the basic principles:

• Disposition: Someone with critical thinking skills is often skeptical, open-minded, and practices fair-mindedness. They can look at different viewpoints and change positions if the evidence and reason lead them to do so.
• Criteria: In order to think critically, one must also apply criteria. Certain conditions must be met before someone believes in something. The information needs to be from credible sources.
• Argument: An argument is simply a statement or proposition that is shown with supporting evidence. When you use your critical thinking skills, you identify, evaluate, and construct your argument.
• Reasoning: With critical thinking comes reasoning. You must examine logical relationships among the statements being made.
• Point of View: Critical thinkers can see things from different perspectives and different points of view.

What Are Good Analysis Questions?

Analysis is a part of critical thinking that allows you to examine something carefully. Someone with analytical skills can examine the information presented, understand what that information means, and then properly explain that information to others. Analysis in critical thinking provides more clarity on the information you process.

When analyzing, you may ask yourself, “how do I know this,” how would I solve this problem,” and “why does it matter?”

Why Is Critical Thinking an Important Skill?

Critical thinking skills allow you to express thoughts, ideas, and beliefs in a better way. It also leads to improved communication while allowing others to understand you better. Critical thinking fosters creativity and encourages out-of-the-box thinking. This is a skill that can be applied to many different areas of your life.

For example, knowing the answers to critical thinking questions for a job interview will better prepare you for the interview. Many employers, during questioning, are likely to ask you critical thinking questions to assess if you have the ability to evaluate information effectively so you can make more informed decisions.

Final Thoughts on Critical Thinking Questions

Although it's common to get torn between making two or more choices, nobody wants to make the wrong decision. The only thing you can do to avoid this is use critical thinking questions to examine your situation. The answers to these questions will help you make informed decisions and help you comprehend crucial matters in your life. 

Want to learn more about critical thinking and decision-making using a real-life example? Here is  how Jeff Bezos uses critical thinking  to make some of the most challenging life decisions.

Finally, if you want to ask better questions, then watch this short, 20-minute course to learn how to have a great conversation with virtually anyone .

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Questioning: The Ultimate Reading Strategy for Critical Thinkers

Questioning is a reading strategy that involves generating and answering questions before, during, and after reading to enhance comprehension. It helps readers to engage with the text, think critically, and retain information. This article will provide an overview of questioning as a reading strategy, discuss its formation and promotion, explore how it can help RTI students, and offer practical tips for implementing it in the classroom.

Overview of Questioning as a Reading Strategy

Questioning is a metacognitive reading strategy that involves actively engaging with the text by asking questions, seeking answers, and making connections between ideas. The strategy is divided into three stages: before, during, and after reading.

Before Reading: This stage involves generating questions before reading to help activate prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading. Questions could be related to the author, genre, topic, or theme of the text.

During Reading: This stage involves generating questions while reading to monitor comprehension, clarify understanding, and make predictions. Questions could be related to the meaning of unfamiliar words, the main idea, or the author's purpose.

After Reading: This stage involves generating questions after reading to evaluate understanding, reflect on learning, and make connections to real-life situations. Questions could be related to the text's relevance, the author's bias, or the characters' motivations.

Formation and Promotion of Questioning as a Reading Strategy.

The questioning reading strategy was first introduced in the 1960s by the educational psychologist, Benjamin Bloom, who developed the Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework for classifying learning objectives into six hierarchical levels, ranging from simple recall of information to complex analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The questioning strategy is based on the higher-order thinking levels of Bloom's Taxonomy, which require students to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving.

Since its inception, the questioning strategy has been widely promoted by educators, researchers, and curriculum developers as a powerful tool for improving reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. It has been incorporated into various reading programs and curricula, including the Reading Recovery Program, the Common Core State Standards, and the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework.

How Questioning Helps RTI Students

The RTI framework is a multi-tiered system of support designed to help struggling students by providing targeted interventions that address their specific needs. The questioning reading strategy is an effective tool for RTI students because it helps them to:

Activate Prior Knowledge: Questioning before reading helps students to activate their prior knowledge and build connections between what they already know and what they will be reading. This can improve their comprehension and retention of information.

Monitor Comprehension: Questioning during reading helps students to monitor their comprehension and identify areas of confusion or misunderstanding. This can help them to clarify their understanding and improve their overall comprehension.

Reflect on Learning: Questioning after reading helps students to reflect on what they have learned and make connections to real-life situations. This can help them to apply their learning and develop a deeper understanding of the text.

Implementing Questioning in the Classroom

Here are some practical tips for implementing the questioning reading strategy in the classroom:

Model the Strategy: Model the questioning strategy by asking students questions about the text before, during, and after reading. This can help them to see how the strategy works and develop their own questioning skills.

Provide Guided Practice: Provide guided practice by giving students a set of questions to answer before, during, and after reading. This can help them to develop their questioning skills and build confidence.

Encourage Independent Practice: Encourage independent practice by having students generate their own questions before, during, and after reading. This can help them to take ownership of their learning and develop their critical thinking skills.

Use Graphic Organizers: Use graphic organizers, such as KWL charts or mind maps, to help students organize their questions and make connections between ideas.

Differentiate Instruction: Differentiate instruction by providing different levels of questioning for students at different levels of proficiency. For example, lower-level questions for struggling readers and higher-level questions for advanced readers.

In conclusion, questioning is a powerful reading strategy that can help RTI students to improve their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. By generating and answering questions before, during, and after reading, students can engage with the text, monitor their comprehension, and reflect on their learning. Implementing this strategy in the classroom requires modeling, guided practice, independent practice, graphic organizers, and differentiated instruction. By incorporating questioning into their reading instruction, teachers can help their students to become more effective readers and critical thinkers.

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Teaching Students How to Ask Productive Questions

Improve engagement, comprehension, and critical thinking by teaching students the process of asking insightful questions.

In a recent piece for MiddleWeb , teacher and author Jackie Walsh disputes the commonly accepted classroom expectation that teachers ask the questions and students answer. “Student-generated questions put learners in the driver’s seat,” she writes. “They advance both learning and engagement.”

There are natural barriers to shifting to this more student-centered approach: “many think that asking questions might lead teachers to believe they’re not smart or suggest to their peers that they’re not cool.” But Walsh offers step-by-step guidance for addressing those issues and fostering an environment that supports questioning by students.

The first step is to explain why questions are critical to the learning process, Walsh says. Provide students with clear rationales such as, “I use questions to understand other perspectives and to engage in collaborative thinking and learning” or “I ask myself questions to monitor my thinking and learning.” Identifying the function of a question is crucial in motivating students, and these sample stems serve as prompts for students who need help to form useful questions. 

For reference, Walsh has developed a comprehensive, metacognitive framework of questioning skills and matching prompts. The rubric makes the relationship between critical thinking and asking questions explicit and is a great handout for students.

Ultimately, though, the art of framing a question is one that must be practiced, Walsh writes. She suggests a “think time 1-2” practice, which emphasizes longer-than-normal pauses to ask and then process questions: Use a three-to-five-second pause after the teacher’s question to allow students to determine what the question is asking and whether the students understand it, and then provide a second “think time” after a student responds. The second pause “provides the opportunity for students to process what a speaker has said and pose questions about the speaker’s comment or about the topic in general.” 

Other simple changes can drive home the point. Asking students, “What kinds of questions do you have?” instead of the more typical “Do you have any questions?” can send the clear signal that the torch has been passed to them. She also recommends that teachers “institute a policy of ‘raise your hand to ask a question—not to answer the teacher’s question.’” Flipping the expectation from a class where the teacher poses questions to one where students ask the questions leads to greater engagement, comprehension, and critical thinking. 

Language Comprehension Interventions

• All Literacy Interventions
• Activate Prior Knowledge
• Build Background Knowledge
• High Frequency and Domain Specific Vocabulary
• Defining Words in Context
• Defining Words in Isolation
• Morphology (Prefixes, Suffixes, Roots)
• Sentence Length, Structure, and Type
• Punctuation
• Asking and Answering Factual Questions
• Asking and Answering Inferential Questions
• Asking and Answering Questions Using Mnemonics
• Summarizing Text
• Synthesizing Text (Critical Thinking)

Introduction

Synthesizing text interventions, answering critical thinking questions interventions, how do i break down this skill for students, response to error: synthesizing and critical thinking, feedback during the lesson, strategies to try after the lesson.

• Narrative Text Structures
• Informational Text Structures
• Instructional Scopes and Sequences

Students who have trouble connecting different parts of a text need to learn to synthesize. In order to synthesize, a student must develop critical-thinking skills, such as noticing how a character changes over time and contrasting multiple perspectives. To carry out these skills,, a student must be able to successfully self-monitor and to ask and answer questions, and must be familiar with elements of different text structures. The following pages include strategies that you can use to support your students' ability to synthesize. As you read, consider which of these interventions best aligns with your students' strengths and needs in the whole-learner domains. 

Explicit Instruction

To support your students' ability to synthesize, you should start by explicitly teaching the concept. This sounds like:

Explain the Skill/Concept.  Define synthesize, and explain the activity  ( "Synthesizing means that we are able to connect ideas across a text. To do this, we need to make sure that what we are reading aligns with information we've read in previous chapters. Today I am going to show you how to synthesize information so that I can determine a character's trait." "Today, we are going to practice synthesizing." ) Model Skill with Examples.  Think aloud about how you synthesize.  ( " When I read a text, I make sure to connect different parts to build my understanding of a character. For example. in the beginning of the book we are reading,  The Giver , I noticed that Jonas felt bad for a boy who didn't obey the rules. On page 6, he said, "I felt a little sorry for him...even though I don't even know him. I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid." This line made me start to think that Jonas is a thoughtful and empathetic person. In other places in the text, I learned that Jonas asked the Giver lots of questions about his daughter, Rosemary, because he wanted to understand how the Giver felt. I also learned that Jonas cared so much about his brother Gabriel that he was willing to risk his life to save him. When I put these three pieces of evidence together, I could conclude that Jonas was a thoughtful and empathetic person. This was how I synthesized figuring out one of Jonas's character traits. " ) Model Skill with Non-Examples . Think aloud about what happens when you don't actively synthesize.  ( "What might happen if I only used one piece of evidence to decide on Jonas's character traits? What happens if I read this line,' Jonas was miserable,' and then I assumed that Jonas was a depressed person? Would that be an accurate reflection of his character? No. That's why when we synthesize, we need to use multiple pieces of evidence to support our claim. " ).  Practice the Skill.  Engage in the activity below to practice the skill with your student, providing feedback as necessary. ( "Now you try synthesizing. " ) 

Activity A: Compare & Contrast

A Venn Diagram is a graphic organizer that can teach students to compare and contrast two or more concepts. This strategy can be used when students are having difficulty understanding similarities and differences between two ideas. This is an effective intervention to use with both narrative and informational texts across content areas.

Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer PDF

Compare and Contrast. (n.d.). Copyright at Relay GSE. New York, NY:  Relay Graduate School of Education.

Compare and Contrast in Action In this example, students are learning how to use a Venn Diagram to understand character change over time. Teacher: "We are going to use a Venn Diagram to better understand a character's internal change. Today, I'd like you to examine how Jonas changed over time. Title the circle on the left, 'Jonas, before The Giver,' and title circle on the right, 'Jonas, after The Giver.' In both circles use text evidence to examine Jonas's actions, internal dialogue, and relationships to explain how he changed over time."

Critical-thinking questions are answered by synthesizing multiple parts of a text. Students need to be able to think critically in order to figure out the "so what," or the big idea, of the text (such as theme, character change, main idea, etc.). Critical-thinking questions are the most rigorous because they require students to use clues from across one or more texts to come to a conclusion. This questioning skill can be taught once students are able to ask and answer factual and inferential questions. This page includes strategies that you can use to support your students' ability to ask and answer critical-thinking questions. As you read, consider which of these interventions best aligns with your students' strengths and needs in the whole-learner domains. 

To support your students' understanding of asking and answering inferential questions, you should start by explicitly teaching this concept. This sounds like:

Explain the Skill/Concept.  Define critical-thinking questions, and explain the activity.  ( "Critical-thinking questions can be answered by synthesizing multiple clues from across the text. It is important to ask and answer critical-thinking questions to see if we understand the big ideas in the text. To think critically, we must use all the clues we've gathered from a text and put them together to come to a conclusion. Today, I will show you how to think critically about two characters to compare and contrast their character traits. " "Today, we are going to learn how to ask and answer critical-thinking questions as we read."  ) Model Skill with Examples.  Think aloud about how you ask and answer critical-thinking questions.  ( "Now that I've read all of Frog and Toad, I'm going to ask a critical-thinking question: How are Frog and Toad alike and different? To answer this question, I have to use multiple clues from the text. First, I'll talk about what I learned about Frog. I'll use three pieces of evidence to support my thinking. I know Frog tried to box up the cookies. I also know that he put them high on a shelf to stop eating them. Then, when he and Toad gave the cookies to the birds, he was proud because he had enough will power not to finish the box of cookies. Now I'll examine what Toad was like using three pieces of evidence: Toad wanted to cut the string on the box of cookies. He also told Frog to get the box down from the shelf. Finally. after the birds had eaten all the cookies, he decided to go home and bake a cake. Okay, now that I've collected my evidence, I'm going to compare and contrast them. First, I'll say how they are similar: Frog and Toad both love cookies! Now, I'll say how they are different: While Frog decided that he was proud of their using will power not to finish the cookies, Toad decided he wanted more sweets. This seems to be the biggest difference in their character traits. Frog has will power while Toad does not." ) Model Skill with Non-Examples . Think aloud about how to read without thinking critically.  ( "What if I compared and contrasted Frog without using multiple pieces of evidence? If I noticed that Frog and Toad both liked cookies, but I left out the final example, then I might say that they are the same because they both like cookies. I might not understand how they are different. So, it is important to use multiple pieces of evidence to think critically." ) Practice the Skill.  Engage in teaching students to ask and answer specific questions, providing feedback as necessary. ( "Now you try asking and answering critical-thinking questions as you read. " )

Look at the following document to see how you might teach students to ask and answer other types of questions in narrative texts:

Critical Thinking Resource PDF

Wilson, A. (2016). Asking and answering critical thinking questions. Copyright at Relay GSE. New York, NY:  Relay Graduate School of Education.

Teaching Critical Thinking Questions in Action To learn about how to ask and answer critical-thinking questions, start by reading the following excerpt from Frog and Toad Together , by Arnold Lobel. Frog and Toad Text PDF

Lobel, A. (1979). Frog and toad together . New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Now, read the lesson plan below that describes how to teach students to ask and answer questions about critical-thinking skills. 

Critical Thinking Lesson Plan PDF

Wilson, A. (2016). Critical thinking questions lesson plan. Copyright at Relay GSE. New York, NY:  Relay Graduate School of Education.

Think about the following scenario, which takes place after a teacher has explicitly taught students to ask and answer critical-thinking questions and has given them multiple opportunities to practice.      Teacher: "What does Frog say and do to allow you to figure out one of his character traits?"      Student: "Well, he ate all the cookies, so I think he's hungry."

In such a case, what might you do? 

When you are planning your lessons, you should anticipate that your students will make errors throughout. Here are a series of prompts that you can use to respond to errors. Keep in mind that all students are different, and that students might respond better to some types of feedback than others.

If your student struggles to meet your objective, there are various techniques that you might try to adjust the activity so as best to meet your student's needs. 

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Beyond “What’s the Answer?”: How Questioning Sparks Student Critical Thinking

Author:  Matt , Tags:  Comprehension , Critical Thinking , Questioning Strategies

( words) minutes to read 

Critical thinking isn’t just about finding the right answer – it’s about digging deeper, analyzing, and building upon information. So, how can teachers encourage this skill in their classrooms? This case study explores the power of questioning as a tool to ignite student critical thinking, showcasing the impact of question type on student engagement and cognitive development.

Real-Life Case Study

This study focuses on a dedicated teacher who actively uses questioning in their reading comprehension lessons. To understand the effectiveness of their approach, researchers observed the classroom and interviewed 17 students about their learning experiences.

Source: Internation Journal of English Linguistics

What the Data Revealed About Questioning Strategies

Surprisingly, the observations showed that the teacher primarily used lower-cognitive questions (79.2%) – those prompting recall or simple comprehension. Higher-cognitive questions, requiring analysis, evaluation, or application, made up only 20.8%.

Questions play a central role in the processes of teaching and learning because students’ learning, thinking, participation and their level of engagement depend on the kind of questions teachers formulate and use in the classroom. Patrícia Albergaria-Almeida

Using questions to help guide students into deeper levels of thinking and analysis is the core of high-quality teaching . We’ve discovered this from recent research in the science of reading .

Understanding the Impact on Student Critical Thinking

Based on established learning theories, the study concludes that a reliance on lower-cognitive questions limits the potential for developing critical thinking. While these questions serve a purpose, they typically involve surface-level engagement and don’t push students to manipulate or apply their knowledge in new ways.

Questioning to Unlock Deeper Levels of Learning

This case study isn’t a condemnation of questions, but a reminder of their potential. By strategically weaving in more higher-cognitive questions, teachers can unlock a deeper level of learning in their students.

Examples of such questions include:

• “How does this text connect to what we learned yesterday?”
• “Can you think of another scenario where this information might apply?”
• “Based on the evidence, which character’s perspective seems most reliable?”

Find more questions > 32 Open-Ended Comprehension Questions

Going Beyond the Case Study

This case study serves as a springboard for further exploration. Teachers can consider reflecting on their questioning practices, incorporating more open-ended and analytical questions, and observing the impact on student engagement and critical thinking skills.

Really, it’s a focus on those thinking skills that will build maths and reading skills for the digital age .

Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate lower-cognitive questions entirely but to strike a balance that fosters both comprehension and critical thinking. By asking the right questions, teachers can transform classrooms into spaces where students actively engage with knowledge, challenge assumptions, and become confident critical thinkers.

About the Author

Matt is a learner, creator, and educator with k-12 teaching, administrative, and research experience. He tracks trends in education, travels the oceans, and fails at fishing.

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Kubla Khan. Reading Comprehension Questions, Multiple-choice questions

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Resources included (2)

Kubla Khan. 30 multiple-choice questions (Editable)

Kubla Khan. 40 Reading Comprehension Questions (Editable)

Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, with our comprehensive bundle, combining 40 thought-provoking reading comprehension questions with 30 meticulously crafted multiple-choice questions. Explore the depths of the narrative as you unravel its themes, analyze character motivations, and dissect plot developments with precision. Perfect for educators seeking to enrich their curriculum with rigorous yet accessible assessments, this bundle promises to empower students to critically engage with the text while honing their reading comprehension skills. Whether used for individual assessment, group discussion, or classroom activities, these questions are designed to foster critical thinking and literary exploration among students of all levels. Perfect for literature studies, literature, comprehension, critical thinking, discussion and independent learning and can be used as a test quiz.

Note to Buyers This resource does not contain answer keys. We intentionally designed it this way to encourage students to actively engage with the text and collaborate in finding their own answers. Embrace the opportunity for students to develop critical thinking skills and explore diverse interpretations while working through the comprehension questions

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