Three Levels of Questions
Factual questions (level one) can be answered explicitly by facts contained in the text.
Inferential questions (level two) can be answered through analysis and interpretation of specific
parts of the text.
Universal questions (level three) are open-ended questions that are raised by ideas in the text.
They are intended to provoke a discussion of an abstract idea or issue.
The following are example questions related to George Orwell’s 1984:
1. Factual: These questions are explicitly stated in the text—you can point to the exact
answer. This includes who, what, where, when, and how questions; questions asking for a
description, summary, or paraphrase; sometimes questions that ask why, but only if the
answer is clearly seen in the text. For example:
What does Winston write several times in his diary? Why does he abruptly stop
writing?
What is meant by, “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death”
(27). But Winston has already committed thoughtcrime and is not dead yet, so
what does he mean?
Who showed up in Winston’s dreams? Where were they? What happened?
Summarize what happened in chapter 4.
Describe Winston’s daily life.
According to Winston, why are the Two Minutes Hate easy to see through? But
what happens to Winston when it begins which makes his observation ironic?
2. Inferential: These questions are not explicit—the answer must be an inference, or a
reasonable guess. Your answer will be based on something in the text that sticks out to
you as being more than simple description. Maybe it adds to a larger theme in the book,
or tells you something unspoken about a character; it might be a few single words that
show you the tone of the text. These questions often include something like, “What is
meant by ____?” or “Explain _______”. Because the answer is not obvious, you must
have evidence to back up your claim.
What can we infer about Winston’s relationship with his dead mother? How does
he feel about her? Provide evidence for your answer.
What kind of person does Winston seem to be? How do you know?
Why does Winston’s writing in his journal start to trail off into incoherence, when
he starts repeating himself and ignoring grammar and punctuation? He was
writing about a film shown at “the flicks;” what can we infer about his opinion of
the film, and of the larger society in general?
What will be the consequences of a full transition to pure Newspeak? Why is the
government pushing this change of language so much—how does it benefit them?
What is “facecrime” (54)? How does it add to a larger theme in the book? (If you
used this example in part of an analytical essay, what would you be writing
about? What topic would you categorize this as? How does this example fit in
with other examples on the same theme?)
3. Universal: These questions are broad questions that apply to you, the reader, and your
world. What is your opinion on an issue that has been brought up in the text? You may
still use quotes from the text to provide examples, but also use evidence and examples
from your own life and from outside sources like other things you’ve read or researched.
“When there were no external records that you could refer to, even the outline of
your own life lost its sharpness” (30). In our modern world, we have so many
external records of our lives because we take pictures of everything, and post so
much on social media. Do you think your childhood memories sharper because
everything has been documented? Do you think it’s a good thing? What are the
trade-offs—are there any negatives? How is this different from your parents’
generation—do you think they really remember less than you?
In 1984, Big Brother watches everything you do. There are many ways today that
individuals are tracked—by companies who can create targeted ads for you based
on your online activity, or cities like London where they have created the “Ring
of Steel,” or a ring of cameras surrounding and within the entire city that can be
used to capture whatever is done in public. Are you ok with streetview Google
Maps in your area? Why or why not? When is surveillance an invasion of
privacy?
Write your own list of Level One, Two, and Three questions. In groups, come up with at
least 6 questions for each level.