Task Verbs
The following task verbs are commonly used in the free-response questions:
- Calculate: Perform mathematical steps to arrive at a final answer, including algebraic expressions, properly substituted numbers, and correct labeling of units and significant figures.
- Construct/Draw: Create a diagram, graph, representation, or model that illustrates or explains relationships or phenomena. Labels may or may not be required.
- Describe: Provide relevant characteristics of a specified topic.
- Determine: Decide or conclude after reasoning, observation, or applying mathematical routines (calculations). Evaluate: Judge or determine the significance or importance of information, or the quality or accuracy of a claim.
- Explain: Provide information about how or why a relationship, process, pattern, position, situation, or outcome occurs, using evidence and/or reasoning to support or qualfiy a claim. Explain “how” typically requires analyzing the relationship, process, pattern, position, situation, or outcome; whereas explain “why” typically requires analysis of motivations or reasons for the relationship, process, pattern, position, situation, or outcome. Identify: Indicate or provide information about a specified topic, without elaboration or explanation.
- Justify: Provide evidence to support, qualify, or defend a claim, and/or provide reasoning to explain how that evidence supports or qualifies the claim.
- Make a claim: Make an assertion that is based on evidence or knowledge.
- Predict/Make a prediction: Predict the causes or effects of a change in, or disruption to, one or more components in a relationship, pattern, process, or system.
- Represent: Use appropriate graphs, symbols, words, illustrations, and/or tables of numerical values to describe biological concepts, characteristics, and/or relationships.
- State (the null/alternative hypothesis): Indicate or provide a hypothesis to support or defend a claim about a scientifically testable question.
- Support a claim: Provide reasoning to explain how evidence supports or qualifies a claim.
But, how often are they used?
Task Verb Usage | |
File Size: | 25 kb |
File Type: | xlsx |