Bloom’s Taxonomy Question Stems for Use in

Assessment [With 100+ Examples]

This comprehensive list of pre-created Bloom’s taxonomy question stems ensure students are critically
engaging with course material

Jacob Rutka
■February 25, 2023

One of the most powerful aspects of Bloom’s Taxonomy is that it offers you, as an educator, the ability to
construct a curriculum to assess objective learning outcomes, including advanced educational objectives like
critical thinking. Pre-created Bloom’s Taxonomy questions can also make planning discussions, learning
activities, and formative assessments much easier.

For those unfamiliar with Bloom’s Taxonomy, it consists of a series of hierarchical levels (normally arranged in
a pyramid) that build on each other and progress towards higher-order thinking skills. Each level contains verbs,
such as “demonstrate” or “design,” that can be measured to gain greater insight into student learning.

Click here to download 100+ Bloom’s taxonomy question stems for your classroom and get everything you
need to engage your students.

Table of Contents
1. Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)
2. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001)
3. Bloom’s Taxonomy for adjunct professors
4. Examples of Bloom’s Taxonomy question stems
5. Additional Bloom’s Taxonomy Example Questions
6. Higher-Level Thinking Questions

Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)

The original Bloom’s Taxonomy framework consists of six levels that build off of each other as the learning
experience progresses. It was developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom, an American educational psychologist.
Below are descriptions of each level:

 Knowledge: Identification and recall of course concepts learned

 Comprehension: Ability to grasp the meaning of the material
 Application: Demonstrating a grasp of the material at this level by solving problems and
creating projects
 Analysis: Finding patterns and trends in the course material
 Synthesis: The combining of ideas or concepts to form a working theory
 Evaluation: Making judgments based on the information students have learned as well as
their own insights
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001)
A group of educational researchers and cognitive psychologists developed the new and revised Bloom’s
Taxonomy framework in 2001 to be more action-oriented. This way, students work their way through a series
of verbs to meet learning objectives. Below are descriptions of each of the levels in revised Bloom’s Taxonomy:

 Remember: To bring an awareness of the concept to learners’ minds.

 Understand: To summarize or restate the information in a particular way.
 Apply: The ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations.
 Analyze: Understanding the underlying structure of knowledge to be able to distinguish
between fact and opinion.
 Evaluate: Making judgments about the value of ideas, theories, items and materials.
 Create: Reorganizing concepts into new structures or patterns through generating, producing
or planning.

Bloom’s Taxonomy for adjunct professors

Free Download: Bloom’s Taxonomy Question Stems and Examples

Bloom’s Taxonomy questions are a great way to build and design curriculum and lesson plans. They
encourage the development of higher-order thinking and encourage students to engage in metacognition
by thinking and reflecting on their own learning. In The Ultimate Guide to Bloom’s Taxonomy Question
Stems, you can access more than 100 examples of Bloom’s Taxonomy questions examples and higher-order
thinking question examples at all different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Examples of Bloom’s Taxonomy question stems

Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) question samples:

 Knowledge: How many…? Who was it that…? Can you name the…?
 Comprehension: Can you write in your own words…? Can you write a brief outline…?
What do you think could have happened next…?
 Application: Choose the best statements that apply… Judge the effects of… What would
result …?
 Analysis: Which events could have happened…? If … happened, how might the ending have
been different? How was this similar to…?
 Synthesis: Can you design a … to achieve …? Write a poem, song or creative presentation
about…? Can you see a possible solution to…?
 Evaluation: What criteria would you use to assess…? What data was used to evaluate…?
How could you verify…?

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (2001) question samples:

 Remember: Who…? What…? Where…? How…?

  Understand: How would you generalize…? How would you express…? What information
can you infer from…?
 Apply: How would you demonstrate…? How would you present…? Draw a story map…
 Analyze: How can you sort the different parts…? What can you infer about…? What ideas
validate…? How would you categorize…?
 Evaluate: What criteria would you use to assess…? What sources could you use to verify…?
What information would you use to prioritize…? What are the possible outcomes for…?
 Create: What would happen if…? List the ways you can…? Can you brainstorm a better
solution for…?

Additional Bloom’s Taxonomy Example Questions

As we know, Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework used in education to categorize levels of cognitive learning.
Here are 10 Bloom’s Taxonomy example questions, each corresponding to one of the six levels in Bloom’s
Taxonomy, starting from the lowest level (Remember) to the highest level (Create):

1. Remember (Knowledge): What are the four primary states of matter? Can you list the main
events of the American Civil War?
2. Understand (Comprehension): How would you explain the concept of supply and demand
to someone who is new to economics? Can you summarize the main idea of the research
article you just read?
3. Apply (Application): Given a real-world scenario, how would you use the Pythagorean
theorem to solve a practical problem? Can you demonstrate how to conduct a chemical
titration in a laboratory setting?
4. Analyze (Analysis): What are the key factors contributing to the decline of a particular
species in an ecosystem? How do the social and economic factors influence voting patterns
in a specific region?
5. Evaluate (Evaluation): Compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of two different
programming languages for a specific project. Assess the effectiveness of a marketing
campaign, providing recommendations for improvement.
6. Create (Synthesis): Design a new and innovative product that addresses a common problem
in society. Develop a comprehensive lesson plan that incorporates various teaching methods
to enhance student engagement in a particular subject.

Higher-Level Thinking Questions

Higher-level thinking questions are designed to encourage critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis of
information. Here are eight examples of higher-level thinking questions that can be used in higher
education:

1. Critical Analysis (Analysis): “What are the ethical implications of the decision made by the
characters in the novel, and how do they reflect broader societal values?”
2. Problem-Solving (Application): “Given the current environmental challenges, how can we
develop sustainable energy solutions that balance economic and ecological concerns?”
3. Evaluation of Evidence (Evaluation): “Based on the data presented in this research paper,
do you think the study’s conclusions are valid? Why or why not?”
 4. Comparative Analysis (Analysis): “Compare and contrast the economic policies of two
different countries and their impact on income inequality.”
5. Hypothetical Scenario (Synthesis): “Imagine you are the CEO of a multinational
corporation. How would you navigate the challenges of globalization and cultural diversity
in your company’s workforce?”
6. Ethical Dilemma (Evaluation): “In a medical emergency with limited resources, how
should healthcare professionals prioritize patients, and what ethical principles should guide
their decisions?”
7. Interdisciplinary Connection (Synthesis): “How can principles from psychology and
sociology be integrated to address the mental health needs of a diverse student population in
higher education institutions?”
8. Creative Problem-Solving (Synthesis): “Propose a novel solution to reduce urban
congestion while promoting eco-friendly transportation options. What are the potential
benefits and challenges of your solution?”

These questions encourage students to go beyond simple recall of facts and

engage in critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and ethical considerations.
They are often used to stimulate class discussions, research projects, and
written assignments in higher education settings.
SOURCE: https://tophat.com/blog/blooms-taxonomy-question-stems/