"What is the question asking??" Grades 3-5

What is this question really asking you to do? "What does the third-person point of view help the reader understand about Robin and Squirrel?"

• Find the part of the story where the author switches from one character to the other
• Explain how having a narrator who can share what BOTH characters think and feel helps you understand the story
• Decide which character is the most important one in the story
• Figure out which character is telling the story in their own words

Answer explanation

Third-person point of view means the narrator can show us what multiple characters think and feel. The question wants you to explain how that helps the reader.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which detail shows that Year-Long Summer is a fable?"

• Find a detail that proves the story takes place in a real location
• Explain the lesson the main character learns at the end
• Find a detail that matches what makes a story a fable — like animals that talk and act like people
• Explain how the problem in the story gets solved in a magical way

Answer explanation

Fables have specific features — especially animals that talk and behave like humans. The question asks you to find the detail that proves this story fits that genre.

Tags

CCSS.RL.1.10

CCSS.RL.2.2

CCSS.RL.3.2

CCSS.RL.K.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which message is presented in BOTH The Farm Where Nothing Grew AND Olivia's Soccer Practice?"

• Compare where both stories take place and find what is the same
• Identify the most important character in each story
• Find a life lesson that fits what happens in BOTH stories, not just one
• Explain how the ending of one story is similar to the ending of the other

Answer explanation

This question asks for a theme — a message about life — that works for BOTH texts. You have to think about what big idea connects them.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.9

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.7

CCSS.RL.5.7

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the most likely reason the author uses a cause-and-effect structure in the section 'These Legs Are Made for Jumping'?"

• Find the main idea sentence in that section
• Explain HOW the section is organized AND why the author chose to set it up that way
• Describe what frogs look like based on the details in the section
• Compare frogs to other animals mentioned in the article

Answer explanation

This question is about author's craft. It's not just asking you to name the structure — it wants you to explain WHY the author used it and how it helps the reader.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the best paraphrase of these sentences: It builds strength in communities. It encourages people to care about the place where they live."

• Find words in the sentences that you could replace with synonyms
• Restate what both sentences mean together using your own words
• Decide which sentence is the topic sentence of the paragraph
• Figure out whether these sentences are facts or opinions

Answer explanation

Paraphrasing means rewriting the meaning in your own words. The question wants you to show you understand what both sentences mean together.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.4.2

CCSS.RI.4.9

CCSS.RI.5.9

CCSS.RI.6.2

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the most likely reason the poet uses the simile 'like a hound dog'?"

• Find the stanza where the dad is compared to a dog
• Look up what the word 'hound' means
• Explain what the comparison to a hound dog shows about how the dad acts at home
• Name whether the comparison is a simile, metaphor, or personification

Answer explanation

This question asks you to interpret figurative language — specifically, what quality of a hound dog the poet is using to describe the dad's behavior.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.L.3.5A

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which line shows how the speaker's attitude toward his dad changes by the end of the poem?"

• Find the line where the speaker first mentions his dad
• Choose the line that best describes what the dad looks like
• Find the line where the speaker shows his feelings about his dad have shifted from negative to caring
• Pick the line that shows the speaker is still annoyed with his dad

Answer explanation

Attitude means how the speaker feels. This question asks you to track how those feelings change from the beginning to the end of the poem.

Tags

CCSS.RL.3.4

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.1.4

CCSS.RL.2.4

CCSS.RL.5.4

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is most likely the author's purpose for presenting the information in paragraphs 1 and 2 of 'Tradition with a Twist' in a cause-and-effect structure?"

• List all the causes and effects mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2
• Find the most important effect described in the article
• Explain WHY the author organized those paragraphs that way and what it helps the reader understand
• Find the sentence where the author first uses a cause-and-effect relationship

Answer explanation

This question combines text structure AND author's purpose. It's not just asking you to identify the structure — it wants you to explain why the author chose it.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.5

CCSS.RI.2.5

CCSS.RI.3.5

CCSS.RI.4.5

CCSS.RI.5.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is a belief people have about traditional recipes in 'Tradition with a Twist' that is NOT described in 'Cultural Cooking Connections'?"

• Find a sentence in one article that uses the same words as the other article
• Read both articles carefully and find an idea that only appears in ONE of them
• Explain why one author wrote more about traditional recipes than the other
• Find a belief from one article that the other article disagrees with

Answer explanation

This question asks you to compare two texts and find something present in one that is MISSING from the other. You have to check both carefully.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.9

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.3.9

CCSS.RL.5.7

CCSS.RI.2.9

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which idea about cooking is developed in BOTH 'Cultural Cooking Connections' AND 'Tradition with a Twist'?"

• Find a recipe detail that both articles describe the same way
• Identify the chef who is mentioned in both articles
• Find a big idea about cooking that BOTH authors build on throughout their articles
• Compare the opinions of two chefs from different articles

Answer explanation

This question asks for a shared big idea — not a small matching detail, but a larger concept that both authors develop with their evidence and examples.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.9

CCSS.RI.5.7

CCSS.RI.3.9

CCSS.RL.4.7

CCSS.RL.5.7