Helping students develop their reading comprehension
What are the main types of Comprehension Questions?
Explanations and examples of the types of comprehension questions students will encounter.
LITERAL
The answer is found directly within the text
Maya bought a blue dress.
What color was Maya's dress?
INFERENTIAL
The answer is implied but not written by the author.
Maya chose a dress in the colour of a clear sunny sky.
What was the colour of Maya's dress?
VOCABULARY
Determining the meaning of unknown words from the context
Maya was glad she had chosen blue, but she wondered if she should have chosen a different tone of blue.
What does the word tone mean here?
REORGANISATIONAL
The answer is found in different parts of the text.
Maya wanted to buy a dress for the school disco. At first she didn't know what colour to choose. She looked up at the clear, sunny sky, then she chose blue.
What colour was Maya's dress?
EVALUATIVE
The reader uses extra information not given in the text (prior knowledge) to form an answer.
Maya didn't know what colour dress she should buy for the school disco. As she sat in the sun staring up at the clear sky, she suddenly knew what colour she would choose.
What colour do you think Maya chose?
REACTIONAL
The reader expresses an opinion based on the information given.
Maya was buying a new dress for the school disco. At first she didn't know what colour she wanted, but as she sat in the sun staring up at the clear sky, she knew what colour she would choose. Later as she arrived at the school disco in her new blue dress, she noticed other girls wearing the same colour, but she didn't mind, she was happy with her new dress.
Do you think Maya made the right choice in colour for her new dress? Why do you think that?