Understanding Questions
Name
Here ale two kinds of questions. Understanding these two kinds of questions w,ill
help you develop your own inquiry questions and answer questions effectir,.elv.
High-Level Questions
Low-Level Questions
These questions
These questions
.
.
o are less challenging
are challenging
require background knowledge on a
topic
o encouraSe more complex thinking
o encourage you to think about cause
r
and effect, relationships, and making
value judgments about something
Answering these questions requires
vou to
.
.
.
.
eXpreSS an Oplnlon
.
require you to locate and gather f'acts
and data
encourage you to gather details or
describe something
can point you to background
knowledge that helps you answer
high-level questions
Ansn ering these questions requires
you to
. provide facts or details
make a judgrnent
suppofi yourjudgment or opinion
with factual details
Here is an example of a high-level
question:
Was the temperance movement in
Here is an example of a low-level
question:
Who was the prime minister of Canada
during World War I?
Canada successful?
Answering this question requires
you to
Ansrvering this question requires
vou to
. pay attention to facts and details
.
gather data
o possess an understanding
of
prohibition
make a judgment about r.vhether
I
temperance was successful
express your judgment about
whether temperance was successful
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Class
Practise Understanding Questions
Practise what you have learned. Nert to each of the fbllowing questions,
write H for high-level question and L for low-level question. It is not
necessary for you to know the answer to the questions.
1.
What countries made up the Triple Alliance before
World War l'?
2.
In what year did World War I end?
3.
What was the most signil'rcant cause of World War I?
4.
Describe conditions in the trenches.
5.
Which weapon had the greatest impact on soldiers in World
War I?
6.
Where did most Canadian soldiers fight in World War I?
7.
List the jobs performed by women in World War I.
8.
How did the way Canadians lived in the 1920s affect their lives
in the 1930s?
9.
What was the average annual income of someone living in
Alberta in 1933?
10. Should the depression
ofthe
1930s have been called the Great
Depression?
11. Was appeasement an
effective foreign policy?
12. Did any'thing good come of the Dieppe raid?
t -)-
When was the first atomic bomb used in wartime?
14. Did Canadians at home make a significant contribution during
World War II?
15.
What alliances did Canada join to help protect the country
during the Cold War?
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More Practice in Understanding Questions
Asking questions helps you consider aspects of history more carefully. when
examining a historical source, try asking the 5Ws+H questions: Who'l What?
When? Where? Why'/ and How? These low-level questions help you gather
data and make inf'erences and prepare to answer more complex, high-lev.el
questions.
Asking Questions
Make up at least 10 questions about the follor,ving photograph. Be sure to
include both low- and high-level questions. Once you have finished uriting
your questions, identify each with an H (for high-level) or an L (for lorvlevel). An example is provided on page 4.
When you finish writing and labelling your questions, trade your list with
a classmate and try to answer the questions using the clues provided in the
photograph (or simply try to answer your own questions).
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My Questions
l.
When did rhis rake place?
1L.y
2.
J.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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