On a test, I tend to give this sort of question.

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I’ll provide *a poem* with a literary and vocabulary background.

1 – 3 are comprehension questions.

4. Interpret and analyze *the poem* in a thesis statement. (6 marks)

____________________________Answer here________________________________________

• Student demonstrates ability to introduce the text.
• Student demonstrates ability to interpret the text.
• Student demonstrates ability to generate three analytic categories.
• Student demonstrates ability to produce a sophisticated interpretation.
• Student demonstrates ability to write detailed analytic categories that support the interpretation.
• Student demonstrates ability to express thesis in one to two sentences.

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I like this question because it moves to demonstrating specific skills that we have been working on in class. I think the bullet-point scoring is very direct, reflects skills, and leaves room for scores that reflect basic and sophisticated response.

BUT!

My students are finding these tests very challenging, some actually complaining that they have to think during the test. Others are threatened that they can’t answer questions like this by memorizing their notes from class.

Having said that, students that have memorized their notes tend to be able to do more, reflecting that we can only manipulate knowledge if we have it.

Still. It heaps a series of analytic as well as expressive skills into one question, which is certainly threatening. Further, comprehension can threaten the entire structure, but shouldn’t that be the case?