Developing reading comprehension questions

Developing reading comprehension questions

1. The use of questions is an integral aspect of such activities, and in our experiences as language teachers we have seen that well-designed comprehension questions help students interact with the text to create or construct meaning.

2. Types of comprehension

   • Literal comprehension
     • understanding of the straightforward meaning of the text, such as facts, vocabulary, dates, times, and locations.
   • Reorganization
     • students must use information from various parts of the text and combine them for additional understanding.
   • Inference
     • students combining their literal understanding of the text with their own knowledge and intuitions.
   • Prediction
     • students using both their understanding of the passage and their own knowledge of the topic
   • Evaluation
     • students must use both a literal understanding of the text and their knowledge of the text's topic and related issues.
   • Personal response
     • requires readers to respond with their feelings for the text and the subject.

3. Forms of questions

   • Yes/no questions
     • can be answered with either yes or no.
   • Alternative questions
     • are two or more yes/no questions connected
   • True or false
     • Like yes/no questions, true or false questions can be used to prompt all six types of comprehension.
   • Wh- questions
     • Questions beginning with where, what, when, who, how, and why are commonly called whquestions.
   • Multiple-choice
     • are based on other forms of questions. They can be, for example, a wh-question with a choice

4. CHAVEZ ORTEGA EDITH