Action Verbs for Use in Developing Objectives
| These Verbs Are Better Avoided | Those that are often used but are open to many interpretations: appreciate, have faith in, know, learn, understand, believe |
|---|
| Level of Learning | Cognitive Learning (the participant should be able to...) |
|---|---|
|
Knowledge (remember information) |
characterize, cite, count, define, describe, draw, identify, indicate, label, list, match, name, outline, point, quote, read, recall, recite, recognize, record, relate, repeat, reproduce, select, state, tabulate, tell, trace, write |
|
Comprehension (understand or organize stored information) |
associate, classify, compare, compute, contrast, convert, defend, derive, describe, differentiate, discuss, distinguish, estimate, explain, express, extend, extrapolate, generate, give examples, illustrate, infer, interpolate, interpret, locate, paraphrase, predict, reorder, report, restate, review, rewrite, summarize, translate |
|
Application (use information to solve problems) |
apply, calculate, change, choose, classify, complete, compute, demonstrate, discover, dramatize, employ, examine, illustrate, interpolate, interpret, locate, manipulate, modify, operate, order, practice, predict, prepare, produce, relate, report, restate, review, schedule, select, show, sketch, solve, translate, use, utilize |
|
Analysis (consider evidence to reach conclusion) |
analyze, appraise, break down, conclude, contract, criticize, debate, deduce, detect, determine, diagram, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, experiment, identify, illustrate, infer, inspect, inventory, outline, point out, question, regroup, relate, separate, select, subdivide, summarize |
|
Synthesis (break down information to understand components) |
arrange, assemble, categorize, codify, collect, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, design, detect, develop, devise, draw, explain, formulate, generalize, generate, integrate, manage, modify, organize, originate, plan, predict, prepare, prescribe, produce, propose, rearrange, reconstruct, relate, reorganize, revise, rewrite, solve, specify, summarize, synthesize, tell, write |
|
Evaluation (judge merit) |
appraise, argue, assess, choose, compare, conclude, contrast, criticize, critique, decide, describe, discriminate, determine, estimate, explain, evaluate, grade, interpret, judge, justify, measure, rank, rate, recommend, relate, revise, score, select, summarize, support, test |
| Level of Learning | Psychomotor Learning (the participant should be able to...) |
|---|---|
|
Motor Skills |
auscultate, diagnose, hold, measure, palpate, pass, percuss, project, visualize, etc. |
| Level of Learning | Affective Learning (the participant should be able to...) |
|---|---|
|
Receive (attend to stimuli) |
ask, choose, describe, follow, give, hold, identify, locate, name, pick, point to, select, reply, use |
|
Respond (react to stimuli) |
aid, answer, assist, comply, conform, discuss, greet, help, label, perform, practice, present, read, recite, report, select, tell, write |
|
Value (attach significance to ideas) |
complete, describe, differentiate, explain, follow, form, initiate, invite, join, justify, propose, read, report, select, share, start, study, work |
|
Organization (build value systems) |
adhere, alter, arrange, assemble, combine, compare, complete, defend, explain, generalize, identify, integrate, modify, order, organize, prepare, relate, synthesize |
|
Characterization (develop person style) |
act, convince, discriminate, display, exemplify, influence, listen, modify, perform, practice, question, reflect, revise, serve, solve, use, verify |