“What is the question asking??” English I-II

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which statement best expresses the author's claim in the audiobook selection?"

• Find the sentence in the article where audiobooks are first mentioned
• Identify the topic sentence of the first paragraph
• State the one central argument the entire article is built around — the big idea the author is trying to convince you to believe
• Explain how the author feels about people who prefer reading printed books

Answer explanation

A claim in an argumentative text is the author's main position — the overarching point that all the evidence and examples are designed to support. It's bigger than just a topic sentence.

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the most likely reason the author uses a cause-and-effect organizational structure in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the audiobook article?"

• List all the causes and effects mentioned in paragraphs 2 and 3
• Identify the transition words the author uses to signal cause-and-effect
• Explain WHY the author chose that structure and what it helps prove to the reader about audiobooks
• Find the paragraph where the author first introduces a negative effect of not using audiobooks

Answer explanation

This question asks about author's craft — not just recognizing the structure, but explaining why the author deliberately organized those paragraphs that way and what argument it supports.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

What is this question really asking you to do? "How does the author dispute the counterargument made by skeptics who doubt the value of audiobooks?"

• Find the paragraph where the author discusses people who disagree
• Identify the counterargument the skeptics are making
• Explain the specific strategy and evidence the author uses to push back against the opposing view
• Decide whether the author's response to skeptics is effective or not

Answer explanation

This question asks you to trace the author's argumentative moves — how they acknowledge a counterargument AND what they do to refute it. That's two steps: find the rebuttal AND explain how it works.

What is this question really asking you to do? "What is the most likely reason the author includes the sentence 'Only time will tell!' at the end of the time capsule article?"

• Identify the literary device used in that sentence
• Explain what the sentence means literally
• Explain what effect that specific closing line creates for the reader and why the author chose to end with it
• Find an earlier sentence in the article that uses similar language

Answer explanation

This question asks about a deliberate authorial choice — not just what the sentence says, but WHY the author chose that particular ending and what it's meant to make the reader think or feel.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which statement best expresses the thesis of the 'Buried History' article?"

• Find the sentence in paragraph 1 that introduces the topic
• Summarize the entire article in one sentence
• Identify the central claim the author is making about the time capsule's significance — what the whole article argues or demonstrates
• Find the sentence that best describes what a time capsule is

Answer explanation

A thesis is the central claim of an informational or argumentative text — not just its topic, but the specific point the author is making about that topic.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

What is this question really asking you to do? "In the excerpt from Kokoro, which detail does the author include to connect the setting to a theme about the significance of change?"

• Describe what the setting looks like in the excerpt from Kokoro
• Find a sentence that mentions a physical change happening in the environment
• Identify a detail about the setting that works as a symbol or parallel to a bigger idea the story is developing about personal change
• Explain how the setting of Japan in 1914 influences the narrator's actions

Answer explanation

This question asks you to connect a setting detail to theme — a high-level analytical move. The detail isn't just scenery; it mirrors or reflects an idea about change that runs through the story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is this question really asking you to do? "Which event from the Kokoro excerpt best contributes to a theme connected to the importance of being authentic?"

• Find the event in the story where the narrator feels the most pressure
• Summarize what Sensei does throughout the story
• Identify the moment where a character does or says something that reveals a truth about being genuine — and connect that moment to a larger theme about authenticity
• Find the event that shows the narrator changing his mind about something

Answer explanation

Theme questions ask you to connect a specific event to a universal idea. This one asks which event most directly develops the idea of authenticity — being honest and true to yourself.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

CCSS.RI. 9-10.9

CCSS.RI.11-12.9

What is this question really asking you to do? "The author uses oxymoron in the phrase 'friend/adversary' in 'The List' most likely to convey —"

• Define what an oxymoron is and find another example in the story
• Explain what both the words 'friend' and 'adversary' mean separately
• Explain what the combination of two contradictory words in one phrase reveals about the specific nature of Mia and Amit's relationship
• Identify whether 'friend/adversary' is an oxymoron, paradox, or irony

Answer explanation

This question asks you to go beyond identifying the device — it asks what the oxymoron communicates about the relationship. The answer is about meaning and effect, not just definition.

Tags

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is this question really asking you to do? "What can the reader infer from Mia's actions in paragraphs 8 through 12 of 'The List'?"

• Summarize what Mia does in paragraphs 8 through 12
• Find a direct quote from Mia in those paragraphs that shows how she feels
• Read between the lines of Mia's behavior and word choices to figure out something about her character that the text doesn't directly state
• Identify the conflict that Mia faces in paragraphs 8 through 12

Answer explanation

Inference questions ask you to go beyond what is written. You have to use clues from the text — actions, word choices, and tone — to draw a conclusion the author never directly states.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RL.11-12.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

What is this question really asking you to do? "What are the most likely reasons the author of Kokoro and the author of 'The List' include SIMILAR details in their opening paragraphs?"

• Compare the opening paragraphs of both texts and list what details they share
• Explain why both stories take place near the end of a school term
• Explain the purpose behind similar storytelling techniques used in both openings — what is each author trying to accomplish for the reader in that opening?
• Find two characters in both texts who face the same type of problem

Answer explanation

This question asks about author's craft across two texts — not just that both openings are similar, but WHY both authors made similar choices and what those choices do for the reader.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.7

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

CCSS.RL.8.7