BIO 104 Tests and Levels of Understanding

Educational researchers have identified different levels of cognitive ability (referred to as Bloom’s Taxonomy) that range from simple memorization to the ability to develop and defend opinions.  Without ever knowing it, you are likely thinking in these different levels already.  As you study and learn the material presented in class, it may be helpful to test yourself at all the levels presented below.  With each level is a list of words that are often used to construct questions that address that level.  The levels are listed from simplest to most complex.

1. Knowledge—identify and recall information. Define, distinguish, identify, recall, recognize.
2. Comprehension—organize and select facts and ideas. Conclude, demonstrate, differentiate, draw, explain, give in your own words, illustrate, interpret, predict, rearrange, reorder, rephrase, represent, restate, transfer, translate.
3. Application—use facts to explain concepts. Apply, classify, develop, employ, generalize, organize, relate, restructure, transfer, use.
4. Analysis—separate whole into component parts. Analyze, categorize, compare, contrast, deduce, detect.
5. Synthesis—combine ideas to form a new whole. Combine, constitute, derive, document, formulate, modify, organize, originate, produce, relate, specify, synthesize, tell, transmit, write.
6. Evaluation—develop and defend opinions. Appraise, argue, assess, decide, evaluate, judge, standardize, validate.

In BIO 104, you will not be tested on level 6 (evaluation).  However, you will need to prepare for all other levels of understanding.  Oftentimes, higher-level questions require you to recall knowledge as well as perform higher-level thinking.