New Hampshire Foundations of Reading Practice Test

How can evaluative comprehension be promoted in students?

1. By avoiding modeling thought processes

2. By displaying evaluative question stems for reference

3. By focusing solely on literal interpretations

4. By using only personal experiences

The correct answer is: By displaying evaluative question stems for reference

Promoting evaluative comprehension in students is effectively achieved by displaying evaluative question stems for reference. This approach empowers students to engage with texts at a deeper level by guiding their thinking toward evaluation and analysis rather than just understanding the basic content. Providing question stems like "What is the author's purpose?" or "How does this information relate to what you already know?" encourages students to think critically about the text. It helps them make judgments about the material and fosters a deeper understanding of the nuances within the reading, rather than simply recalling facts or summarizing the text. This method also supports students in developing their own evaluative questions, which is a critical skill for independent analysis. By having these stems available, students can practice applying them as they read, ultimately leading to improved evaluative comprehension and analytical skills. In contrast, the other choices do not effectively promote evaluative comprehension. Avoiding modeling thought processes hinders students' ability to learn through examples. Solely focusing on literal interpretations restricts learning to surface-level understanding. Additionally, relying only on personal experiences may not provide the critical distance necessary to evaluate a text objectively or comprehensively.