“What is the question asking??” Grades 6-8

What is this question really asking you to do? "How do Caitlin's responses to Horatio in Scene 1 help develop the plot of the play?"

• Summarize what Caitlin says in each of her lines in Scene 1
• Explain how one character's reactions and words cause something important to happen in the story
• Compare how Caitlin and Horatio feel about the sourdough starter
• Identify which character moves the plot forward the most

Answer explanation

This question asks about how a character's dialogue functions in the plot — not just what she says, but what her responses cause or set in motion.

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

CCSS.RI.1.1

What is this question really asking you to do? "What does the reader learn about Caitlin from the dialogue and stage directions in line 36?"

• Find the words Caitlin says in line 36 and explain their literal meaning
• Figure out what Caitlin's exact words and actions in that moment reveal about her personality and character
• Identify whether Caitlin is the hero or villain of the play based on line 36
• Decide if Caitlin's offer is sincere or if she has another motive

Answer explanation

Both dialogue AND stage directions are clues about character. The question asks what those specific details together show about who Caitlin is.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RL.6.7

CCSS.RL.7.10

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.7.4

What is this question really asking you to do? "The author uses an advantage-and-disadvantage structure in paragraphs 4–8 of the cheerleading article most likely to —"

• List all the advantages of competitive cheerleading mentioned in those paragraphs
• Name the organizational pattern used in the article
• Explain WHY the author chose that structure and what point it helps make for the reader
• Find the paragraph where the author first mentions a disadvantage of cheerleading

Answer explanation

This question combines text structure AND author's purpose — it's not asking you to name the structure, but to explain why the author deliberately chose it and what effect it creates.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "In the third-person omniscient point of view used in the Matt Christopher excerpt, what does this point of view help the reader understand?"

• Identify who is telling the story and whether it is first or third person
• Explain how having access to multiple characters' inner thoughts helps the reader understand the text more fully
• Find the paragraph where the narrator reveals a character's private feelings
• Decide which character the omniscient narrator knows the most about

Answer explanation

Third-person omniscient means the narrator knows what everyone thinks and feels. The question asks how that broad access to multiple characters' perspectives helps the reader.

Tags

CCSS.RL.8.6

CCSS.RL.1.6

CCSS.RL.5.6

CCSS.RL.6.6

CCSS.RL.7.6

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which conclusion is supported by BOTH the cheerleading article AND the Matt Christopher excerpt?"

• Find a sentence in both texts that uses similar language
• Identify a character who appears in both texts
• Find a conclusion — a big takeaway idea — that the evidence in BOTH texts points toward
• Compare the main topics of both texts and explain how they are related

Answer explanation

This question asks you to reason across both texts and find a bigger idea that the evidence in each one supports, even though the topics are completely different.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.6.9

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which statement best explains the organizational pattern used in the section 'Winged Hunters' in the bat article?"

• Summarize the main idea of the section in your own words
• Find the transition words the author uses to organize the section
• Identify the structure AND explain how it works to develop the information in that section
• Compare the 'Winged Hunters' section to another section of the article

Answer explanation

This question asks you to do two things at once: identify the structure AND explain how it functions — how it organizes the information in a way that makes sense.

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which of the narrator's statements in scene 1 foreshadows the events that occur in scene 3?"

• Find the line where the narrator first introduces herself to the audience
• Identify a statement in scene 1 that hints at or predicts something that actually happens later in the play
• Explain what the narrator is feeling at the end of scene 1
• Find the line in scene 1 that best summarizes the play's conflict

Answer explanation

Foreshadowing means an early clue that hints at later events. The question asks you to connect something said early in the play to something that actually happens in scene 3.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

What is this question really asking you to do? "The playwright uses figurative language in line 32 ('. . . But I may need to stir the pot a little in scene three.') most likely to suggest that the narrator —"

• Define what the phrase 'stir the pot' means in everyday language
• Identify whether the figurative language is a simile, metaphor, or idiom
• Explain what the figurative language reveals about the narrator's intentions and personality
• Find another example of figurative language used earlier in the play

Answer explanation

This question asks you to go beyond defining the figure of speech — it asks what the author is using that language to show or suggest about the narrator's character and plans.

Tags

CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the main DIFFERENCE between the authors' purposes for including information about agriculture in 'Counting Like the Maya' and 'An Ancient Farming Method'?"

• List all the facts about agriculture mentioned in each article
• Explain how both authors use details about agriculture to support different central ideas
• Find the paragraph in each article where agriculture is first mentioned
• Compare how much space each author gives to the topic of agriculture

Answer explanation

This question asks you to analyze author's purpose in two texts — not just what each says about agriculture, but WHY each author included it and what different role it plays in each article.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RI.7.7

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which sentence describes a DIFFERENCE in the authors' reasons for referencing modern experts in 'Counting Like the Maya' and 'An Ancient Farming Method'?"

• Name the modern experts mentioned in each article
• Identify which article quotes more experts
• Explain the different purposes each author has for including expert opinions — what does each expert reference help prove?
• Find where each author first introduces a modern expert

Answer explanation

This cross-text question asks you to think about author's craft — not just that both authors use experts, but why each author chose to include them and what different work those references do in each text.

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.8.5

CCSS.RL.6.9

CCSS.RI.6.7