Tips for the Bagrut exam
What you need to know in order to succeed!
LOTS, HOTS and BRIDGING QUESTIONS…
Good Luck!
Pirchy Dayan
Based on the Literature Handbook (2013) and Bari Nirenberg’s
presentations.
For each Summative Assessment on
a story, poem or play you should
answer answer:
basic understanding (LOTS) questions.
These are basic content questions.
Answers should be short and to the
point.
 Analysis and interpretation (HOTS)
questions that may include understanding
of literary techniques.

Extended HOTS question where you:
 a. name the HOTS you chose to answer
the question.
 b. answer the question showing
appropriate use of the HOTS that you
have chosen. Use vocabulary that is
directly connected to the chosen HOTS.
 Bridging Text and Context question:

Students are asked to make connections
between the text, universal themes and
new relevant information and ideas from
other sources. These sources may include
the biography and personality of the
author, themes and /or aspects of the
historical, social and cultural contexts
of the text.
 The connection must be both accurate
and explicit. Use 1-2 examples from the
text to support your point.

Inferring
Reading "between the lines" to understand
information that is not presented directly.
 Drawing a conclusion from clues.
 What do you think the character meant
when s/he said, “___”?
 What does ___’s behavior suggest? What is
the purpose or function of this information?
 What different meanings can be inferred
from this line in the poem?

Useful Vocabulary

Infer, learn, conclude, read between the
lines, assume, clue, hint, imply, probably,
likely, unlikely, evidence, what are the
consequences of this statement?
Sample Questions
When George first meets Mr. Cattanzara
he lies to him about reading books
because he wants his respect. Why is Mr.
Cattanzara's respect so important to
George?
 What is the importance of the setting of
the story? (any story)
 "I shall be telling this with a sigh".
What TWO different meanings can we
infer from this line in The Road Not Taken?

Comparing and contrasting
Finding what is similar/different between
two or more things.
 Drawing conclusions based on these
similarities and differences.
 Compare and contrast the conflicts/
problems/dilemmas in two stories or
poems.
 Compare and contrast characters in a
text.

Useful Vocabulary

like, similar, also, similarly, in the same way,
likewise, again, compared to, both, have in
common.

unlike, in contrast with, different than,
opposite, (comparative adjectives) on the
contrary, however, although, yet, even
though, still, nevertheless, regardless,
despite, while, on the one hand…on the
other hand.
Sample Questions
Compare and contrast the TWO roads in
the poem The Road Not Taken.
 Compare and contrast Mr. Kelada and the
narrator.
 Compare and contrast Joe's view of family
before and after he hears the contents of
Larry's letter. Support your answer with
information from the play.

Explaining patterns
Identifying and explaining different patterns
of behavior in a text;
 Explaining why these patterns are
important.
 Identifying and explaining different patterns
in a poem - for example: rhythm and rhyme;
 What behavior does the character repeat?
 Explain why certain lines/phrases/words are
repeated in a story/poem.

Useful Vocabulary

repeat, repetition, repetitive, routine,
order, notice, noticeable, significance,
significant, similar, recur, rule, follow a
pattern, pattern of behavior.
Sample Questions
The relationship between Waverly and
her mother is like that of chess players.
Explain the pattern of their behavior.
 What behavior does Mr. Kelada repeat
throughout the story? Why is his behavior
in the end surprising? Explain.
 What behavior does George repeat in the
story? Based on his pattern of behavior, is
he going to read the books? Explain.

Explaining cause and effect
Identifying reasons why things happen
(the cause);
 Identifying and describing the result (the
effect) of actions and circumstances;
 Explaining the connection between the
two.
 What were the results of ___‘s action?
 What caused ___ to think that ___?

Useful Vocabulary

cause, effect, result, consequence,
consequently, outcome, as a result of,
therefore, if....then, in order to, due to,
because, thanks to, as a result (of),
encourage, persuade, development,
explanation, ___ leads to ____.
Sample Questions
What caused the speaker in the poem to
choose the “road less travelled by”?
 "He stayed in his room for almost a week,
except to sneak into the kitchen when
nobody was home." What caused George
to stay in his room for a week?
 While Mr. Kelada is examining the pearls,
Mrs. Ramsay's face changes. How does
this affect Mr. Kelada?

Distinguishing different
perspectives
Identifying different points of view in a
text;
 Identifying different outlooks on life.
 Identify how different characters respond
to a central event in the story.
 How does your understanding of the
characters’ actions/events in the story
change as you read?

Useful Vocabulary

perspective, point of view, attitude,
differences, outside, inside, looking from
the side, opinion, reader, narrator,
consider, identify, distinguish, tell the
difference,

however, on the one hand, on the other
hand, outlook, standpoint, perception, side,
angle.
Sample Questions
How do the narrator's feelings about Mr.
Kelada change from the beginning to the
end of the story?
 How do Waverly and her mother view
Waverly's success in chess?
 How does our opinion of Mrs. Ramsay
change at the end of the story?

Uncovering Motives

Identify motives that explain the
character’s behavior and support this
with evidence from the text.
Why do you think that __ did __?
Support your answer.
 What made ___ change his/her mind?
Give supporting details.

Useful Vocabulary

aim, intention, purpose, goal, cause, object,
reason, psychological, motivation, motive,
evidence, incentive, drive, behavior.
Sample Questions
What motivated Mr. Kelada to lie about
the pearls?
 What motivated Mr. Catanzara to lie and
tell everyone that George was reading
100 books?
 Why does Keller say he is willing to give
Steve a job when he gets out of jail?

Problem Solving





Identifying a problem/dilemma and its
solution.
Identifying a problem and suggesting a
solution of your own based on what you
know about the characters, events and
circumstances.
Define the problem facing the protagonist.
What is the central conflict in this text and
how is it resolved? Explain.
What dilemma does ___ face at this point in
the story?
Useful Vocabulary

find out, solve, answer, explain, difficulty,
resolve, decipher, predicament, trouble,
crisis, advantage / disadvantage, pros and
cons, choice, dilemma, deal with, weighing
possibilities.
Sample Questions
In the first stanza of the poem The Road
Not Taken (lines 1-5), what is the
traveler’s dilemma? How does he solve
his dilemma?
 What dilemma does Mr. Kelada face when
he examines the pearls? How does he
solve his dilemma?

What is considered a good
answer?

The information is relevant, sufficient, well
organized and correct. The answer
includes examples/ supporting details
from the text. The message is clear. There
is correct use of grammar, vocabulary,
spelling and punctuation.

F - 80% is given for content and 20% for grammar
and spelling.
General Tips for Success
Read the question carefully! You may want
to highlight key words in the question
to help you focus.
 Make sure that your answer relates to the
entire question. Give examples from
the text to support your point!
 If you are given a quote, the answer must
reflect a general understanding of the
literary piece, NOT just the quote.

If there is a question about a literary
term, such as setting or metaphor, you
should show understanding of the literary
term in connection to the text.
 You should provide examples from the
text in your answer. When you are asked
to explain, you must support your
explanation with examples.
 No examples means you lose at least 20%
from what the question is worth.

Extended HOTS questions
For the extended HOTS question:
 A. answer the question as required.
 B. choose ONE HOTS, name it and show
appropriate evidence of the use of the
chosen HOTS. That is, use the relevant
vocabulary you have learned in your
answer.You will get up to 5 points for
using the correct vocabulary.

Bridging Text and Context – Tips
You need to write 80-100 words about how
certain information you are given is related to
the text you read, and enhances (‫ (מחזק‬your
understanding of it.
 Relate to the information / quote you are
given in YOUR OWN WORDS.
 Explain how the background information you
are given is connected to an aspect of the text.
 Make connections between the new
information and the text by giving explanations
and 1-2 examples.

Give ONLY relevant information!
 Conclude your answer.
 Use the following template to help you
organize your answer.
 From this quote/information I learn that
___________. (In addition, it suggests
that ______________.) This is reflected
in the story/poem/play (in several ways).
For example, ___________. (Also,
______________. )To sum up, _______.
