Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems and Verb List by Level

Dvir Atias

Sep 14, 2026

Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems and Verb List by Level

Bloom's Taxonomy Question Stems: Verbs, Stems, and Sample Questions for All 6 Levels

Bloom's taxonomy question stems are sentence starters that match each level of thinking: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. Picking a stem from the right level is the quickest way to write questions that go beyond recall, and to check that a quiz is not accidentally testing only memory.

This guide uses the revised taxonomy published by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl in 2001, which renamed the original levels as verbs and placed create at the top. For each level you get a verb list, a set of question stems, and one sample multiple choice question, followed by a simple method to tag your own quiz questions.

The six levels at a glance

Level	What students do	Key verbs	Sample stem
1. Remember	Recall facts and terms	define, list, name, identify, recall	What is the definition of...?
2. Understand	Explain meaning in their own words	explain, summarize, classify, compare, interpret	Which statement best explains...?
3. Apply	Use a procedure or idea in a new situation	apply, calculate, solve, use, demonstrate	How would you use... to solve...?
4. Analyze	Break information into parts and find relationships	analyze, differentiate, organize, infer, examine	What evidence supports...?
5. Evaluate	Judge using criteria	evaluate, justify, critique, defend, assess	Which option is most effective, and why?
6. Create	Combine elements into something new	design, construct, plan, compose, propose	How could you design a...?

A note on the original version: Benjamin Bloom's 1956 framework used nouns (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation). The revision changed them to verbs and swapped the top two, so creating sits above evaluating.

Level 1: Remember

Students retrieve facts, terms, and basic concepts from memory.

Verb list: define, list, name, identify, recall, recognize, label, match, state, locate, repeat, memorize

Question stems:

What is...?
Who was...?
When did... happen?
Which of the following is the definition of...?
Name the parts of...
List the steps in...

Sample MCQ: Which organelle is the site of photosynthesis in plant cells? A) Mitochondrion B) Chloroplast C) Nucleus D) Ribosome

Level 2: Understand

Students show they grasp meaning: they explain, paraphrase, classify, or compare.

Verb list: explain, summarize, paraphrase, classify, compare, describe, interpret, give an example, illustrate, discuss, predict (from a pattern)

Question stems:

Which statement best explains...?
What is the main idea of...?
How would you summarize...?
Which is an example of...?
What is the difference between... and...?
How would you classify...?

Sample MCQ: Which situation is an example of a physical change? A) Wood burning B) Iron rusting C) Ice melting D) Bread baking

This question requires understanding the concept, since the example given is not a definition a student could memorize.

Level 3: Apply

Students use a procedure, rule, or concept in a situation they have not seen before.

Verb list: apply, calculate, solve, use, demonstrate, compute, implement, carry out, show, modify, operate

Question stems:

How would you use... to solve...?
What would happen if...?
Which formula would you use to find...?
Using what you know about..., what is...?
How would you demonstrate...?

Sample MCQ: A recipe for 4 people uses 300 g of rice. How much rice is needed for 10 people? A) 600 g B) 700 g C) 750 g D) 1,200 g

Level 4: Analyze

Students break information into parts, find patterns and causes, and distinguish relevant from irrelevant.

Verb list: analyze, differentiate, distinguish, organize, examine, infer, categorize, compare and contrast, deconstruct, attribute, outline

Question stems:

What evidence supports...?
What is the relationship between... and...?
Which factor most likely caused...?
What can you infer from...?
Which detail is least relevant to...?
What assumption does the author make about...?

Sample MCQ: A class graph shows plant height increasing each week for plants in sunlight, while plants in a closet stay the same height. What can you infer? A) Water has no effect on plant growth B) Light is a factor in plant growth C) Closet plants received more water D) All plants grow at the same rate

Analysis questions often include a short scenario, graph, or passage. For more formats, see the guide to multiple choice question types.

Level 5: Evaluate

Students make judgments based on criteria and justify them.

Verb list: evaluate, justify, critique, defend, assess, judge, argue, prioritize, recommend, rate, support, appraise

Question stems:

Which option is most effective, and why?
Do you agree with...? Justify your answer.
Which argument is best supported by evidence?
What would you recommend...?
How would you rate... against the criteria?
What is the strongest criticism of...?

Sample MCQ: A town wants to reduce traffic near a school at drop-off time. Which proposal is best supported by the goal of reducing cars? A) Widening the road in front of the school B) Adding more parking spaces C) Starting a supervised walking group from nearby neighborhoods D) Moving the drop-off lane closer to the entrance

Evaluate-level MCQs work best as best answer questions, where several options are reasonable but one fits the criteria most closely.

Level 6: Create

Students combine ideas into a new product, plan, or solution.

Verb list: design, construct, plan, compose, propose, formulate, invent, develop, generate, produce, devise, hypothesize

Question stems:

How could you design a...?
What would you propose to solve...?
How would you plan an experiment to test...?
What alternative could you create for...?
Compose a... that shows...
What hypothesis could explain...?

Sample MCQ: You want to test whether music affects how quickly people solve puzzles. Which experimental design is strongest? A) Ask friends whether music helps them focus B) Time two random groups on the same puzzles, one with music and one without C) Play music for everyone and time how long they take D) Give the music group easier puzzles to keep them motivated

Honest caveat: creating is hard to measure fully with multiple choice. A choice between designs checks whether students recognize a strong plan, but projects, open responses, and performance tasks show whether they can build one. Pair create-level MCQs with a short answer question or a task graded with a rubric.

How to tag quiz questions by Bloom's level

Tagging tells you what a quiz actually measures. A common pattern is a quiz that claims to test analysis but is mostly recall.

Step 1: List each question with its main verb

Write down what the student has to do to answer, not what the stem says. "Explain" in a stem is only understand level if the explanation was taught word for word, in which case it is recall.

Step 2: Ask whether the answer was taught directly

If a student could answer by repeating something from class notes, the question is Remember. If they need to use the idea in a new example or situation, it is Understand or Apply. New data, graphs, or passages usually push a question into Analyze.

Step 3: Assign one level and record it

Pick the highest level the student must use. Record it in your question bank next to the question, for example in a column of your document or spreadsheet, so you can filter later.

Step 4: Check the balance

Count the questions per level. There is no single correct mix, since it depends on the unit and grade level, but seeing 18 Remember questions and 2 Analyze questions in a unit test is a clear signal to rewrite some of them using the stems above.

Rewrite, do not replace

You can often move a question up a level without changing the topic. Remember: What is the formula for density? Apply: A 50 g block has a volume of 20 cubic cm. What is its density?

Building leveled quizzes faster

Once your questions are tagged, you can turn them into a quiz without retyping. Upload the document to Formswrite, review the questions and keys, and export to Google Forms, Kahoot, Moodle, Canvas, and more (Google Forms, Kahoot, and Moodle exports are on paid plans; the free plan includes Formswrite forms and flashcards). If you need a starting point, the quiz generator and multiple choice test generator draft questions from your material, which you can then edit toward higher levels using the stems in this guide.

FAQ

What are the six levels of revised Bloom's taxonomy?

Remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. The revision by Anderson and Krathwohl in 2001 used verbs instead of nouns and placed create at the highest level.

What is a Bloom's taxonomy question stem?

It is a sentence starter matched to a thinking level, such as What is for remember or Which option is most effective and why for evaluate. Stems help you write questions that target a specific level.

Can multiple choice questions test higher-order thinking?

Yes. Questions built around scenarios, data, or best answers can test apply, analyze, and evaluate. Create is harder to assess fully with multiple choice, so pair it with open tasks.

Does a verb alone decide the Bloom's level of a question?

No. The level depends on what the student must actually do. An explain question is recall if the explanation was memorized from class. Use the verb as a guide, then check whether the task is new to the student.

What is the difference between the original and revised Bloom's taxonomy?

The 1956 version used nouns (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation). The 2001 revision renamed them as verbs and put create above evaluate.

How many questions should a quiz have at each level?

There is no fixed ratio. It depends on the learning goals, the unit, and the students. The useful habit is counting questions per level so the quiz matches what you intend to measure.

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