The information in this document was excerpted from the Draft of Grades 9-10 English Language Arts Item Specifications that is posted on the Florida Department of Education website. A few of the Item Stems were created by me. You may find it useful to have students use the sample Item Stems to create questions for what they are reading in class.
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Use the following Item Stems as models to brainstorm ideas and create questions for the reading selection.
Item Stems for Literature Create Questions
1. Select two words or phrases in the
passage that support the idea that
the character was _____.
[Hot Text]
2. Which quotation supports the idea
that Character A is sympathetic to
Character B?
[Multiple Choice]
3. Character A’s view of Character B
changes during the course of the
text. Select a detail from the text
that supports this conclusion.
[Hot Text]
4. Part A: How does the main character
change from the beginning of the
text to the end?
Part B: Provide a detail from the text that
supports this conclusion.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
5. Part A: How does Character A feel about
asking Character B to _____?
Part B: Which detail from the text
supports the answer in Part A?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
6. What is a theme of the passage?
[Multiple Choice]
7. What is a theme of the passage?
[Open Response]
8. Read this sentence from the text:
(Excerpted text)
Part A: How does this sentence affect the
theme of the passage?
Part B: What is a theme from the
passage?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
9. Part A: Which is a theme of the passage?
Part B: Which detail supports the
development of the theme in Part
A?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
10. Part A: How does the author develop the
theme of sympathy for others
throughout the text?
Part B: Which detail from the text
supports this conclusion?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
11. Identify a theme of the passage.
Then, explain how the author uses
details to develop this theme.
[Open Response]
12. Which detail shows how
the main character changes by
the end of the passage?
[Hot Text]
13. How does the main
character change from
the beginning of the
passage to the end?
[Multiple Choice]
14. Explain how the main
character changes at the
end of the passage.
Then, provide a detail
from the passage to
support your choice.
[Open Response]
15. Part A: How does the main
character change?
Part B: How does the change
affect the plot?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
16. How does the change in
the main character help
develop the theme?
[Multiple Choice]
17. Explain how the contrast
the author creates
between Character A
and Character B helps
develop the theme of
the passage.
[Multiple Choice]
18. Read the following sentence from
the passage: (Excerpted text)
What does the phrase (excerpted
text) mean?
[Multiple Choice]
19. The author describes a character
as looking _____ and speaking
_____. How does this word choice
impact the meaning of the
passage?
[Multiple Choice]
20. What is the effect of the repetition
of the word _____ throughout the
passage?
[Open Response]
21. Part A: How do paragraphs 1–4 help to
establish the tone of the passage?
Part B: Select the two words in
paragraphs 1–4 that establish the
tone of the passage.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
22. Explain how the author describes
Character A. Then, explain how
this affects the tone.
[Open Response]
23. Part A: How does the author’s word
choice aid in character development?
Part B: What does this word choice
convey about the meaning of the
text?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
24. Select the sentence that creates
tension in the plot.
[Hot Text]
25. How does the author use structure
to convey a sense of tension in the
passage?
[Multiple Choice]
26. How does the author’s decision to
use a slow pace in telling the story
affect the meaning of the text?
[Multiple Choice]
27. Part A: How does the author set the tone
of the passage?
Part B: How does the tone support the
meaning?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
28. Explain how the author creates the
pacing of the passage. Then,
explain the effect the pace has on
the meaning of the passage.
[Open Response]
29. (Excerpted text)
How does the order of events in
the passage affect the meaning of
this quotation?
[Multiple Choice]
30. Select two pieces of dialogue from
the text that convey the main
character’s perspective.
[Hot Text]
31. Select two sentences from the text
that show the main character’s
point of view regarding the town.
[Hot Text]
32. Explain how the main character
feels about the town. Then, give
details from the text to support
your answer.
[Open Response]
33. Explain how the main character
feels about the leaders of the
town. Then, explain why the main
character feels this way.
[Open Response]
34. Read this excerpt from the text:
(Excerpted text)
Part A: What does this reveal about the
main character?
Part B: How does it emphasize the main
character’s perspective?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
35. Read this excerpt from the text:
(Excerpted text)
Part A: How does this excerpt reflect the
culture from which the main
character comes?
Part B: How does it affect the meaning of
the passage’s ending?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
36. Part A: Which element from the works is
emphasized in the poem?
Part B: Which element from the works is
emphasized in the painting?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
37. What is a difference between the
two works?
[Multiple Choice]
38. Each work features the same
character. How is the character
treated in the poem?
[Open Response]
39. Part A: What is emphasized in the poem
that is not emphasized in the
painting?
Part B: Select a detail from the text that
supports your answer.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
40. Part A: What is emphasized in the poem
that is not emphasized in the
painting?
Part B: How does this affect the poem’s
meaning?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
41. Part A: What is a difference between the
works?
Part B: How does this affect the poem’s
meaning?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
42. How does the author’s reference
to the source material help
advance the plot?
[Multiple Choice]
43. Part A: How does the author change the
source material?
Part B: What impact does this decision
have on the meaning of the play?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
44. Part A: What is a theme that the source
work and the play share?
Part B: How is the playwright’s approach
to the theme different from that
of the previous author?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
Item Stems for Informational Texts
45. Select two words or phrases in the
article that support the idea that
_____ is difficult to find.
[Hot Text]
46. Which quotation supports the idea
that _____ is difficult to find?
[Multiple Choice]
47. Read this excerpt from the text:
(Excerpted text)
Select two details from the text
that support the author’s
conclusion.
[Hot Text]
48. Part A: How do state officials feel about
preserving the animal’s habitat?
Part B: Which detail from the text
supports the answer in Part A?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
49. Part A: Based on the article, how does the
author feel about preserving the
animal’s habitat?
Part B: Which detail from the text
supports the answer in Part A?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
50. What is a central idea of the text?
[Multiple Choice]
51. What is the main theme of the text?
[Open Response]
52. Read this phrase from the text:
(Excerpted text)
Part A: How does this phrase affect the
central idea of the text?
Part B: What is a central idea of the text?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
53. Part A: Which is a central idea of the text?
Part B: Which detail supports the
development of the central idea in
Part A?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
54. Part A: A central idea of the text is _____.
How does the author develop this
central idea throughout the text?
Part B: Which detail from the text
supports this conclusion?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
55. Identify a central idea of the text.
Then, explain how the author uses
details to develop this central idea.
[Open Response]
56. How does the author order the
ideas in the text?
[Multiple Choice]
57. Select three sentences from the
text that show how the author
uses _____ as a way to develop
the ideas in the text.
[Hot Text]
58. The author attempts to show that
_____ has an impact on _____.
Select three details that show this
connection.
[Hot Text]
59. Part A: How does the author develop
ideas throughout the text?
Part B: Select three details from the text
that show the development of the
author’s ideas.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
60. Part A: How does the author develop
ideas throughout the text?
Part B: What effect does this have on the
meaning of the text?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
61. How does the author use sources
to support the viewpoint? How does
this selection affect the meaning of
the text?
[Open Response]
62. Read this phrase from the article:
(Excerpted text)
What does the phrase (excerpted
text) mean as it is used in the
article?
[Multiple Choice]
63. The author describes the animal as
(excerpted text). How does this
word choice affect the meaning of
the article?
[Multiple Choice]
64. What is the impact of the author’s
word choice when describing the
animal throughout the article?
[Open Response]
65. Part A: How do paragraphs 1 through 3
help to establish the tone of the
article?
Part B: Select two words in paragraphs 1
through 3 that establish the tone
of the article.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
66. Explain how the author describes
the animal. Then, explain how this
affects the tone of the article.
[Open Response]
67. Part A: How does the author’s word
choice develop the tone?
Part B: How does this word choice affect
the meaning of the text?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
68. Which sentence helps develop the
idea that preserving the animal’s
habitat will have negative
consequences?
[Multiple Choice]
69. Select two sentences in the text
that help develop the idea that
preserving the animal’s habitat
will have negative consequences.
[Hot Text]
70. Read this phrase from the text:
(Excerpted text)
What impact does this phrase
have on the development of the
author’s ideas?
[Multiple Choice]
71. Part A: Select the paragraph that refines
the idea that there is too little
information to make an informed
decision.
Part B: How does this paragraph support
the author’s purpose?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
72. Part A: How does the author order the
ideas in the text?
Part B: What effect does the order of
ideas have on the meaning of the
text?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
73. Explain how the structure of the
article refines the ideas in the
article. Then, explain how this
affects the meaning of the text as
a whole. [Open Response]
74. Select two phrases from
paragraphs 1 through 3 that
convey the author’s purpose.
[Hot Text]
75. Select two sentences from the text
that show the author’s point of
view regarding _____.
[Hot Text]
76. Explain the author’s viewpoint
about _____.
[Open Response]
77. Part A: Select two phrases from
paragraphs 1 through 3 that show
the author’s purpose.
Part B: What is the author’s purpose in
the article?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
78. Part A: How does the author’s word
choice convey the point of view?
Part B: Select two details from the text
that support your answer.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
79. Part A: What is the author’s purpose in
the article?
Part B: How does the author use rhetoric
to advance the purpose of the
article?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
80. Part A: Which element from both works is
emphasized in the text?
Part B: Which element from both works is
emphasized in the video?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
81. What is a difference between the
two works?
[Multiple Choice]
82. Each work features information
about _____. How is this
information treated differently in
the video than it is in the text?
[Open Response]
83. Part A: What is emphasized in the text
that is not emphasized in the
video?
Part B: Select a detail from the text that
supports your answer.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
84. Part A: What is emphasized in the video
that is not emphasized in the text?
Part B: How does this affect the video’s
meaning?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
85. Part A: What is a difference between the
works?
Part B: How does this affect the text’s
meaning?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
86. Which detail advances the
argument that too little is known
about _____?
[Multiple Choice]
87. Select two details in the text that show
the author’s purpose.
[Multi-Select]
88. Part A: Select two details in the text that
reveal the author’s tone.
Part B: What is the author’s tone?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
89. Which detail is irrelevant to the
author’s primary claim?
[Multiple Choice]
90. Part A: What is the author’s claim in the
text?
Part B: Select two details that support the
author’s claim in the text.
[Two-Part Hot Text]
91. Part A: What is the author’s primary
claim?
Part B: How effectively does the author
support the claim with evidence?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
92. Select a detail from each text that
shows how the two texts treat the
theme of _____ similarly.
[Hot Text]
93. Part A: Which theme do the texts have in
common?
Part B: How do the texts treat this theme
similarly?
[Two-Part Hot Text]
94. Explain how the texts develop and
treat the theme of _____ in the
same way.
[Open Response]
