Taxonomy of Thinking: Levels of Questioning
It is generally agreed that critical thinking is more likely to occur at the
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation levels where answers are less definitive and
often require explanation or justification.
Knowledge: The rote recall of specifics and universals, involving little
more than bringing to mind the appropriate material.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





On what date did Constantinople fall to the armies of Muhammed II?
Define “revenue” and “expense”.
Write the Arrhenius Equation.
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
Name the steps in applying a tourniquet.
Sample Multiple Choice Test Question:
Which of the following are the raw materials for photosynthesis?
1. Water, heat, sunlight
2. Carbon dioxide, sunlight, oxygen
3. Water, carbon dioxide, sunlight
4. Sunlight, oxygen, carbohydrates
5. Water, carbon dioxide, carbohydrates
Comprehension: The ability to process knowledge on a low level such that
the knowledge can be reproduced or communicated without verbatim
repetition.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





Explain what is meant by the term “accounting period?”
Translate the phrase Me encanta bailar Merengue into English.
Identify the factors that affect net income in a given company’s income
statement.
Given a kinship chart, explain how to trace patrilineal and matrilineal
descent.
Create a one-paragraph abstract of a research article.
Sample Multiple Choice Test Question:
If living cells similar to those found on earth were found on another
planet where there was no molecular oxygen, which cell part would
most likely be absent?
1. Cell membrane
2. Nucleus
3. Mitochondria
4. Ribosome
5. Chromosomes
Application: The use of abstraction in particular and concrete situations.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





Given a company financial statement, compute gross profit percentage.
Find two positive numbers whose sum is 20 and whose product is as large
as possible.
Using principles of conditioning, describe how you would train a pigeon
to peck at a red circle.
Apply shading to produce depth in a drawing.
Calculate the volume of dry acetylene, measured at 27 degrees C and
720mm Hg, formed when 10.0g of calcium carbide is placed in water.
Sample Multiple Choice Test Question:
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive condition. About one in
every fifty individuals is heterozygous for the gene but shows no
symptoms of the disorder. If you select a symptom-free male and
symptom-free female at random, what is the probability that they could
have a child afflicted with PKU?
1. (.02)(.02)(.25)=0.0001=0.01%, or about 1/10,000
2. (.02)(.02)=0.0004=0.04%, or about 1/25,000
3. (1)(50)(2)=100%=all
4. (1)(50)(0)=0=none
5. 1/50=2%, or 2/100
Analysis: The ability to break down a situation or a communication into its
component parts.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





Identify the unstated assumptions in a given editorial.
Given a research paper, identify the dependent and independent
variables
From a corporation’s organizational chart, differentiate between line
and staff personnel.
Enumerate the positive and negative arguments contained in an article
that discusses international free trade.
Given a construction blueprint, show how the room configurations and
the HVAC system are related.
Sample Multiple Choice Test Question:
Mitochondria are called the powerhouses of the cell because they make
energy available for cellular metabolism. Which of the following
observations is most cogent in supporting this concept of mitochondrial
function?
1. ATP occurs in the mitochondria
2. Mitochondria have a double membrane.
3. The enzymes of the Krebs cycle, and molecules required for
terminal respiration, are found in mitochondria.
4. Mitochondria are found in almost all kinds of plant and animal
cells.
5. Mitochondria abound in muscle tissue.
Synthesis: The putting together of elements and parts to form a whole.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





Develop a hypothesis about the patterns inherent in a set of school
attendance figures.
Write a logically organized essay for or against handgun control.
Write a paper about the meaning of your social experiences in college.
Design a typical diet for patients with hypertension.
Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that intermittent reward is
a more powerful learning stimulus than consistent reward.
Evaluation: The making of judgments about the value of
materials/methods.
Examples of questions/outcomes:





Develop a treatment plan for Mr. Ledlow, a 47 year old male
hypertensive patient with diabetes.
Create a land-use plan for a given community in eastern North Carolina.
From the research design and the data presented in a published article,
evaluate the appropriateness of the author’s conclusions.
For a given steel company, select the most appropriate method of
depreciating fixed assets and defend your judgment.
Write a thesis evaluating the works of Jackson Pollock.
Sample Multiple Choice Test Question:
Disregarding the relative feasibility of the following procedures, which
of these lines of research is likely to provide us with the most valid and
direct evidence as to evolutionary relations among different species?
1. Analysis of the chemistry of stored food in female gametes.
2. Analysis of the enzymes of the Krebs cycle
3. Observations of the form and arrangement of the denoplasmic
reticulum.
4. Comparison of details of the molecular structure of DNA.
5. Determination of the total percent protein in the cells.
Based on Bloom, B. (Ed.). (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives. New
York: David McKay.
Sample multiple-choice questions from: Jacobs, L.C., and Chase, C.I. (1992).
Developing and using tests effectively: A guide for faculty. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.