Essential Skills Prompt Words

Examine carefully to determine why. Separate or distinguish the elements of anything complex. Break the idea into parts, and explain the various parts

• Interpret

• Analyze

• Criticize/Critique

• Enumerate

Interpret

• Compare/Contrast

• Describe

• Assess

• Justify

Point out how things are similar and how they are different.

• Compare/Contrast

• Synthesize

• Respond

• Effect

Discuss the good and bad elements in a text, a film, or something else. Give evidence to justify your claims

• Outline

• Explain

• Criticize/Critique

• Respond

Give the meaning of a term with enough detail to show that you really understand it.

• Analyze

• Enumerate

• Solve

• Define

Explain or write about; put in words a picture or an account. Tell how something looks, how something happened. Include how, where, who, and why.

• Summarize

• Describe

• Identify

• Summarize

Make a drawing or outline of something and label its parts.

• Identify

• Relate

• Diagram

• Support

Whatever is produced by a cause; something made to happen by a person or thing; result.

• Analyze

• Effect

• Interpret

• List

Give reasons with details. Explore from different perspectives. Look at the pros and cons.

• Discuss

• Interpret

• Diagram

• State

Using evidence, discuss the strengths and weaknesses.

• Diagram

• Outline

• Evaluate

• Support