| A | B |
|---|
| Analyse | take apart an idea/concept/statement in order to consider all its factors. |
| Assess | usually refers to the importance of something: positive/negative, to what extent successful/useful unsuccessful and often refers to contribution to knowledge, events or processes |
| Contrast | emphasize the differences between two items |
| Criticise | point out mistakes or weaknesses as well as favourable aspects - a balanced answer is required |
| Define | give the precise meaning of a concept - possibly its structure, the class to which the concept belongs and why it is different from other classes |
| Describe | to say what something like |
| Discuss | describe and explain - give supporting information, examples, points for and against (analyse) then evaluate (difficult) |
| Evaluate | similar to 'discuss' but the emphasis is on a judgement in the conclusion |
| Examine | to inspect, look at something closely, indetail required |
| Explain | give a precise and detailed explanation of an idea or principle or set of reasons for a situation or attitude (analyse implied) |
| Illustrate | requires concrete examples - including figures/diagrams (often added to another instruction) |
| Interpret | explain + comment upon the subject and make a judgement (evaluation) |
| Justify | give reasons to support a statement. (N.B. the proposition could be negative) |
| Relate | emphasize connections and associations (analyse implied) |
| Suggest | give possible reasons - analyse, interpret and evaluate |
| Trace | give a brief description of the logical or chronological stages of development. e.g. theory, process, a person's life (usually historical questions) |
| Perceptively | quick to notice things |
