CLUE WORDS FOR TEST
QUESTIONS
CLUE WORDS
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When taking a test, look for specific clue words to
that you know exactly what the question is
asking for
Understanding the clue words will help you to
know immediately what type of answer they
want
Looking at the question prior to reading the
passage or the problem gives you a hint as to
what you’ll be finding in the passage or the
problem
CLUE WORD: ANALYZE
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Analyze: When you analyze something, you
look at it very closely. You look at all the parts
or ideas and explain how they are related
Question: “Analyze the information contained in
the following document…
When you’re analyzing something, you’re breaking
down the parts to make something large or bulky
more understandable
 Rather than looking at an entire passage, you’re
breaking the passage into parts – maybe based on a
related topic or by paragraphs
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CLUE WORD: COMPARE
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Compare: When you compare things, you look
at them very closely and find all the
similarities between them.
Question: “Compare life in the United States
with life in Great Britain during the
Revolutionary War.”
When you’re comparing, you are looking for anything
that is similar or the same
 Look for synonyms, or key words such as “like”
 “During the Revolutionary war, money was tight in
the U.S., just like it was in Great Britain.”
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CLUE WORD: CONTRAST
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Contrast: When you contrast things, you look
at them very closely and find all the
differences between them.
Question: “Contrast life in the United States
with life in Great Britain during the
Revolutionary War.”
When you’re contrasting, you’re looking for
differences or opposites
 Look for antonyms
 Frequently an essay question will ask you to
compare AND contrast two things; you must be
prepared to identify all similarities and differences
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CLUE WORD: DESCRIBE
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Describe: When you describe something, you
really work hard to paint a picture with
words so that the reader can really see what you
are saying.
Question: “Using the documents attached,
describe the importance of…”
Descriptive language is rich with adjectives and
utilizes imagery – you want your reader to be able to
picture exactly what you’re describing
 A good way to practice is to “draw” something you’re
familiar with using words. Try to “draw” your
bedroom or describe your journey to school.
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CLUE WORD: DISCUSS
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Discuss: When you discuss something, you look
at it very closely and examine the subject in
detail.
Question: “Discuss the importance of the Erie
Canal during New York State’s early history.”
Think about how subjects are discussed in class – we
all have the opportunity to say what we think about
the topic
 For an essay question, you want to give every detail
you remember about the topic – you’ll never have
points taken away for having too much information
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CLUE WORD: EXPLAIN
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Explain: When you explain something, you
give reasons why things happened or how you
got your answer.
Question: “Explain how the Native Americans
used natural resources to…”
Explaining something is very similar to discussing it
 You may want to think of it as a step-by-step process:
imagine what happens first, second, etc.
 Again, there’s no such thing as too much information.
The more you write, the more proof you have that you
know and understand the topic.
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CLUE WORD: INTERPRET
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Interpret: When you interpret something, you
look at it very closely, and then give the
meaning or significance of it.
Question: “Interpret the meaning of the
following dates located on the graph…”
Interpreting something is very similar to defining it –
you want to tell why the data or information is
important
 When you interpret something, you’re decoding it. In
other words, you are like a detective who is trying to
find out why those dates or that information is
significant
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CLUE WORD: LIST
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List: When you list something, you look at it
very closely, and you provide all of the details
or all of the steps in order about that event or
thing.
Question: “List the events that led to the
creation of the Declaration of Independence…”
Again, you want to provide a step-by-step series of
events beginning with what occurred first
 It’s important to remember that if this is an essay
question, you still have to respond in complete
sentences. You do not want to just create a
numbered list. Be more formal: “First….and then…”
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CLUE WORD: MAIN IDEA
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Main Idea: When you look at the main idea or
the main reason for something happening, you
are looking for a BIG idea/reason or the
central part of the information.
Question: “What is the main reason for the
Boston Tea Party?”
The main idea will probably be mentioned or referred
to multiple times in the passage or paragraph
 OR, the rest of the information will have to do with
the main idea
 Your job is to identify what is the MOST
IMPORTANT part of the paragraph or passage
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CLUE WORD: SUMMARY
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Summary: When you give a summary or
summarize something, you are giving just a
brief description of what happened.
Question: “Give a summary of the events
leading up to the creation of the Bill of Rights.”
When you summarize, you are NOT re-telling the
entire story. It is your job to determine the
information that is most important to the topic.
 A person reading the summary should have a general
idea of what happened without any background
information of what you are summarizing
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CLUE WORD: CATEGORY
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Category: When you categorize something, you
group, classify, and/or sort items with
common or similar characteristics.
Question: “Categorize the following items using
common characteristics.”
When you categorize, you are looking for items that
are alike, words or things that are described the
same way, etc.
 As with “list,” if you’re writing an essay response,
make sure that you use complete sentences
 Everything in the group will have something in
common
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CLUE WORD: DEBATE
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Debate: When you debate something, you
research the topic, analyze both sides and
viewpoints closely and then select whether you
are for or against the topic. Evidence to
support your position must be provided.
Question: “Write a debate about single-gender
education.”
This should remind you of the work you did with our
persuasive unit: you MUST select one side to agree
with, but still be familiar with the opposing
viewpoint
 Incorporating support or evidence backing up your
argument makes your argument more valid
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CLUE WORD: DIFFERENTIATE
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Differentiate: When you differentiate, you
look very closely at the information, items, or
things and determine all characteristics which
set them apart and illustrate the
differences.
Question: “The author used the following
statements to differentiate life in the New World
versus life in England.”
This is essentially the same thing as contrasting
information
 You are looking for and identifying the differences
between the topics, places, etc.
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CLUE WORD: DISTINGUISH
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Distinguish: When you distinguish between
two or more items and/or things, you are able to
identify similarities and differences by
analyzing the characteristics of each.
Question: “Distinguish if the following
statements are based on fact or the author’s
opinion on the subject.”
This is very similar to comparing and contrasting
information
 Again, it’s important to remember to write complete
sentences, not create a bulleted list
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CLUE WORD: INFERENCE
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Inference: When you are asked to make an
inference, you are really making an
assumption or drawing a conclusion using
the information provided.
Question: “After reading the newspaper
headline, what can you infer the article will be
about?”
When you infer, you’re making an educated guess
what the article is about.
 An educated guess means that you are using
whatever information is provided and determining
what will come next, or what is important about it.
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CLUE WORD: SUPPORTING DETAILS
Supporting Details: When you are asked to
identify the supporting details, you are
searching for the statement(s) or
sentence(s) which support the BIG IDEA or
MAIN IDEA of the paragraph, essay, and/or
passage.
 Question: “Which of the following choices
exemplify the supporting details of the
passage?”
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The supporting details back-up the central idea of
the passage or paragraph
They are proving why that idea is important or
providing background information
CLUE WORD: VALIDITY
Validity: When you are asked to validate
something or show the validity, you are
providing evidence based on research and/or
evaluation of the information justifying the
claim, outcome, or end result.
 Question: “Which statement illustrates the
validity of the company’s claim?”
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When something is valid, that means that it’s true or
justified
 When you are looking for the validity, you want to
discover why that statement is true, what
information supports the truthfulness of the claim,
and why it is important.
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CLUE WORD: VIEWPOINT OR POINT OF
VIEW
Viewpoint or POV: When you determine the
point of view or viewpoint of a story, speech,
essay, editorial, debate, paragraph, article, or
other writing format, you are able to identify the
attitudes, thoughts, and opinions of author or
narrator.
 Question: “Which of the following statements
best describes the author’s point of view?”
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Identifying the POV begins when you are able to tell
who is telling the story, or whose opinion the
passage is based on
 You should be able to tell what side of a debate the
writer is on, what their opinions are, or what they
are trying to persuade the reader to believe
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