1. Explicit Questions
 clear and obvious; leaves no doubt as to
the intended meaning
 Synonyms: “literal”, “factual”, “right there
in the text”

2.  Examples:
 Asking and answering “right there” questions
found in the reading material
 Locating directly stated main ideas
 Locating significant and irrelevant details
 Placing items in correct sequence or order
 Reading and carrying out directions

3.  Explicit questions usually start with:
 who,
 what,
 where,
 and when.
 These first four ‘wh’ questions are explicit
questions where the answer is found
directly in the text.

4. Implicit Questions
 not directly stated
 Synonyms: “inferential”, “interpretive”,
“think and search”

5.  Examples:
 Asking and answering “think and search” questions
(the reader has to deduce the answers from the
reading material)
 Asking and answering questions that call for
interpretation (the answer is not found directly in the
material)
 Drawing conclusions and generalizations
 Predicting the outcomes
 Summarizing what was read
 Sensing the author’s mood and purpose

6.  Implicit questions usually start with
 “why” or
 “how”.
 When asking why, the answer is not
spelled out in the text.
 Students must infer the answer based on
what was going on in the story.
 For example, why did she say that? Or,
why did she do that?