Barrett’s Taxonomy of Reading Comprehension- Example Questions
1.Literal comprehension – identifying information stated explicitly in the text.
Who are the characters?
Where does the story take place?
What did the character do?
When did that character do that?
What happened when….?
What important thing did the character find out?
What did ………….do first/next/last?
What caused…?
What happened to …… on the fourth day?
Why did ……….do ………?
What was the purpose of ……..?
What caused………..?
Why did …….decide to ………?.
How did …..feel?
Find out what …………… is going to do
Read on to find out how ………….changed
Find the sentence that tells us why……
Which part of the text tells you that…...... ?
Find the words and phrases which describe the character of…......
Put the following events in order......
Look at the illustrations and tell the story in sequence.
Compare one journey with another.
In what ways were ………… and …………..similar/different?
2. Reorganisation – analysing, synthesising, and organising information that has been stated explicitly.
What has happened up to this point?
Divide the story into ….....parts
Tell the story in your own words.
How many times did ……… take place?
On what day did ...... happen ?
3. Inferential comprehension – using information explicitly stated along with one's own personal experience as a basis for conjecture and hypothesis.
What is the story saying?
What happened between ……….and ………………..?
Discuss the significance of …….
What is the main idea of this…..?
Write a sentence summarising the main idea of …..
How does …………….resemble ……..?
Why was it necessary to…..?
Why did the author include………….?
Why did they...... ?
What is the result of ……...... ?
What might have happened if...... ?
What kind of a person is……....?
What was ……….’s attitude towards……………?
What do you think will happen?
What is meant by the phrase…………..?
What is the problem/dilemma of ………..in this story?
Did you ever have an experience like this?
4.Evaluation – judgments and decisions concerning value and worth.
Is (an event) fact or fiction?
What kind of book is this?
Could this really happen?
Do you think ………….had anything to do with ...... ?
Do you like this character?
Is………. the right thing to do?
Is ……….acting fairly?
What do you think of ………….’s attitude?
Does its setting make a difference?
Does its time (of year, in history) affect the story?
Is there a lesson to be learned in this story? If so, what?
Do you think you can believe what it says? Why or why not?
What is your own opinion about …………… in this story?
Can you trust what this author says? Why or why not?
If you could talk to the author, what would you tell him/her?
Do you know anyone like ………….. (character)?
5.Appreciation – psychological and aesthetic impact of the text on the reader.
What was the best part of the story for you?
What part of the story did you find most exciting?
Do you think it is a happy (sad, frightening) story?