Assignment Prompt Verbs: What do they mean?
| Word | What it means |
| Analyze | Dividing information into smaller parts to question the information. |
| Argue | Giving evidence why you are for or against an idea. See Justify. |
| Assess | Evaluate and form a decision. See Evaluate. |
| Critique | To judge or analyze. Are you for or against? Use evidence for support. |
| Discuss | Examine or analyze something with detail and relevant evidence. |
| Evaluate | Making a judgement. Discuss strengths and weaknesses or pros and cons. |
| Justify | Arguing why you support something while using evidence and examples. |
| Prove | To convince the reader by providing a logical argument. |
| Synthesize | Analyze and group the parts to make a whole. |
| Support | Using evidence (research) to argue why you are supporting a position. |
| Word | What it means |
| Analyze | Dividing information into smaller parts to question the information. |
| Apply | Use information to demonstrate how an idea or concept works in a situation. |
| Compare | To identify similarities. Opposite of Contrast See Evaluate. |
| Contrast | To identify differences between ideas. Opposite of Compare. See Evaluate. |
| Describe | Explaining what something is, such as a process. See Illustrate. |
|
Draw a Conclusion |
To decide something based on the information. |
| Explain | Clarifying why or how you used a method or made a conclusion. |
| Synthesize | Analyze and group the parts to make a whole. |
Interpretation Words
| Word | What it means |
| Classify | Arranging information into categories (topic, ideas, paragraphs, or headings) |
| Define | Providing the meaning of a word, concept, or theory. |
| Describe | Explaining what something is, such as a process. See Illustrate. |
| Explain | Clarifying why or how you used a method or made a conclusion. |
| Illustrate | Showing how something works. May include a table or diagram. |
| Interpret | Explaining the meaning from your perspective. |
| Provide your Rationale | Demonstrating that the conclusion or decision is credible. |
| Reflect | Providing what you learned. Your thoughts. |
|
Summarize |
Giving information in a brief way. A recap. |
