Key Words
in Essay Questions |
| Compare |
- bring out points of similarity and points
of difference. Compare the legislative branches of the state government and the
national government. |
| Contrast |
- bring out the points of difference. Contrast
the novels of Jane Austen and William Makepeace Thackery. |
| Criticize |
- State your opinion of the correctness or
merits of an item or issue; criticism may either approve or disapprove. Criticize the
increasing use of executive agreement in international negotiations. |
| Define |
- Give meaning of a word or concept, place
it in the class to which it belongs, and set it off from other items in the same class. Define
the term "archetype." |
| Describe |
- Give an account of, tell about, or give a
word picture of. Describe the Pyramids of Giza. |
| Discuss |
- Take over, consider from various points of
view, or present different sides of. Discuss the use of pesticides in controlling
mosquitos. |
| Enumerate |
- Name one after another or list in concise
form. Enumerate the great Dutch painters of the seventeenth century. |
| Evaluate |
- Give the good points and the bad ones,
appraise, give an opinion, regard the value of, or discuss the advantages and limitations.
Evaluate the contributions of teaching machines. |
| Explain |
- Make clear, interpret, make plain, tell
how to do, or tell the meaning of. Explain how people can, at times, trigger a
full-scale rainstorm. |
| Interpret |
- Make clear, give meaning of, give your
thinking about, or translate. Interpret the poetic line, "The sound of a cobweb
snapping is the noise of my live." |
| Illustrate |
- Use a word picture, a diagram, a chart, or
a concrete example to clarify a point. Illustrate the use of catapults in the
amphibious warfare of Alexander. |
| Justify |
- Show good reasons for, give your evidence,
or present facts to support your position. Justify the American entry into World War
II. |
| Prove |
- Establish the truth of something by giving
factual evidence or logical reasons. Prove that in a full-employment economy, a society
can get more out of one product only by giving up another product. |
| Summarize |
- Sum up or give the main points briefly. Summarize
the ways in which humans preserve food. |
| Trace |
- Follow the course of, follow the trail of,
or give a description of progress. Trace the development of television in school
instruction. |
