In the North Carolina Standard Course of Study the levels of thinking and reasoning are classified in the following way. Verbs that are likely to be used in questions and directions related to these classifications are included below.
KNOWING
Defining problems: clarifying needs, discrepancies, or puzzling situations
Setting goals: establishing direction and purpose
Observing: obtaining information through one or more senses
Formulating questions: seeking new information through inquiry
Encoding: storing information in long-term memory
Recalling: retrieving information from long-term memory
Useful Verbs: list, name, label, recall, identify, match, choose
ORGANIZING
Arranging information so it can be used effectively
Comparing: noting similarities and differences between or among entities
Classifying: grouping and labeling entities on the basis of their attributes
Ordering: sequencing entities according to a given criterion
Representing: changing the form but not the substance of information
Useful Verbs: categorize, group, classify, compare, contrast
APPLYING
Demonstrating prior knowledge within a new situation. The task is to bring together the appropriate information, generalizations or principles that are required to solve a problem.
Useful Verbs: apply, make, show, record, construct, demonstrate, illustrate
ANALYZING
Clarifying existing information by examining parts and relationships
Identifying attributes and components: determining characteristics or parts of something
Identifying relationships and patterns: recognizing ways in which elements are related
Identifying main ideas: identifying the central element; for example, the hierarchy of key ideas in a message or line of reasoning
Identifying errors: recognizing logical fallacies ad other mistakes ad, where possible, correcting them
Useful Verbs: outline, diagram differentiate, analyze
GENERATING
Producing new information, meaning, or ideas
Inferring: going beyond available information to identify what reasonably may be true
Predicting: anticipating next events, or the outcome of a situation
Elaborating: explaining by adding details, examples, or other relevant information
Useful Verbs: conclude, predict, explain, elaborate, infer
INTEGRATING
Connecting and combining information
Summarizing: combining information efficiently into a cohesive statement
Restructuring: changing existing knowledge structures to incorporate new information
Useful Verbs: combine, summarize, design, imagine, generalize
EVALUATING
Assessing the reasonableness and quality of ideas
Establishing criteria: setting standards for making judgments
Verifying: confirming the accuracy of claims
Useful Verbs: judge, evaluate, rate, verify, assess, define criteria

SKILL VERB
List
Name
Label
Recall
Identify
Match
Choose
Categorize
Group
Classify
Compare
Contrast
Apply
Make
Show
Record
Construct
Demonstrate
Illustrate
Outline
Diagram
Differentiate
Analyze
Conclude
Predict
Explain
Elaborate
Infer
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
When was…?
Who did it?
Define the word _____.
What is a ___?
Label the following.
Identify the ___ in the ____.
Who is the narrator of the story?
What conclusion have you reached about ___?
Explain the main idea and illustrate it.
What do the characters have in common?
What traits best describe the hero in the story?
In your own words, tell ______.
How else might you say ______?
What is the purpose of ____?
Which picture shows ______?
Describe. Show how ….
Compare….
Tell what you think….
Is ____greater than _____?
Why is it called ___?
Explain why ___ caused ___?
What is ___?
What evidence is there that ___?
In what way might ___?
Give some instances which ____?
Which of these words …..…?
How would you use this information to start a program yourself?
Write what you have learned and how you can use this information in your life?
What part of this could be real? Make believe?
What would be a good title for ____?
What are the functions of _____?
Categorize the ____ of ____?
Sort the ___.
What is the order of the steps in ___?
Compare ____ to ____. How are they alike? Different?
Now that we have studied this, what can be concluded about ___.
If you had been… what would you have done differently?
How many ways can you think of to …….?
What would happen if __?
Predict what would be true if ____?
How can you explain…?
Hypothesize what would happen if ____?

Combine
Summarize
Design
Imagine
Generalize
Judge
Evaluate
Rate
Verify
Access
Define criteria
How many ways can you think of __?
Conclude what the result would be if__.?
Summarize the story in your own words.
Devise a plan to ___.
What would you do __?
Judge what would be the best way __?
Evaluate whether you would….
Should _____ be permitted to ___? Why or why not?
Is _____ accurate? Yes or no?
Why do you think…?
Was it right or wrong for …? Explain.
How well did …?
What is the most important ?
Why?
Which of the following….?
How effective was …?
What could have been different?
Based on your previous answer, do you think you could have… Tell how.