Questions About Meaning and Technique:
Literal, Inferential and Evaluative Questions
Literal Questions About Meaning:
 What is the author’s purpose (literal and inferential)
 What ideas or themes does the author express? (literal and inferential)
 What details does the author include about…?
Literal Questions About Technique:
 How does the author structure the text (literal and inferential)
 What comparisons and figures of speech does the author include?
Inferential Questions About Meaning:
 What is the author’s attitude?
 What might the character be like?
 What motivates the character?
 What is the climax?
 What emotions are suggested by figures of speech?
Inferential Questions About Technique:
 Which of the following techniques are important in the text: atmosphere, suspense,
irony, conflict, word connotation, and figurative language?
Evaluative Questions About Meaning:
 Is the purpose worthwhile?
 Would the audience agree with the author?
 Did the characters behave correctly?
 Is the ending effective?
 Are the author’s ideas important?
Evaluative Questions About Technique:
 Is the structure effective?
 Are the author’s comparisons and figures of speech effective/original?
 How does the author use selected techniques?
 Are the details selected by the author appropriate and effective?
 Is the audience accurate or is the author substituting emotion for logic?