6 Questions Your Student Needs to be able to Answer: Step 2

In my last article, I explained the first category of questions your student will need to be able to answer in the reading section of an achievement test. These questions are fact or knowledge based. Being able to “know” and parrot back a piece of information is a “first step” kind of question. The  utility and value of these kinds of questions is limited, however.

 I remember a test question that appeared in a popular home school science book. See if you know the answer.

“A strand of tRNA has the following nucleotide sequence: adenine, uracil, guanine.  What codon in mRNA attracts this strand of tRNA?” 

Well, I’ll bet the answer was not on the “tip of your tongue,” right?  But, let’s say you studied the right sections of the chapter and you confidently answer, “Uracil, adenine, cytosine!” Great!  An A+ answer according to the answer key.  But, not so fast.  What if I followed up with a couple of questions like, “Why is this the right answer,” or “Explain the significance of this information?”   You might become especially annoyed if I jokingly pressed a little more with, “And why doesn’t spell check recognize the word uracil?”

In other words, someone can have the right answer, actually three right answers if you count the number of words to the above question. Maybe even spell the words correctly with impeccable handwriting.  But, so what?  If we’re not careful, we can become like the ultimate anal- retentive religious leaders of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees.  They had memorized vast amounts of Scripture and could quote it flawlessly, but they missed its meaning and purpose.  Their comprehension was lacking.  They didn’t get it.  They also were not alone.  

Achievement tests move beyond “first step” kinds of questions to  include “second step” kinds of questions. Second step questions  evaluate how well the student understands or comprehends the content presented. 

These questions often begin with the following words: 

            Explain what the writer meant by…

            Describe what was meant by…

            Discuss the following concept…

            Distinguish the following terms…

            Restate in your own words…

            Compare the following…

            Predict what will happen next…

            Put this in your own words…

There are four other types of questions students will have to answer on achievement tests.  I’ll explain the third category in my next post. And, as I mentioned before, if you don’t want to wait, you can access the content immediately as an instant download. It’s titled, How to Ask Questions That Matter. This booklet is filled with tips on how to teach and train your child to answer the six kinds of questions commonly found on achievement tests.

Thanks for Reading!

Curt Bumcrot, MRE

Interested in testing in the comfort and safety of your home? We just posted the remote group test dates here