Sample HOTS Question
(Comparing & Contrasting)
a. In your answer to this question name ONE of the thinking skills from the Appendix.
Thinking skill I chose: Explaining Patterns / Explaining Cause & Effect
b. Answer the question showing appropriate evidence of the use of the chosen thinking skill.
What do we learn about Mrs. Ramsay’s character from the story?
Explaining Patterns: Mrs. Ramsay’s pattern of behavior shows that she is not always a truthful person. She is able to keep secrets from others when it suits her needs. First, she is not truthful to her husband about where she got her pearls and that they were actually real. Then, she goes behind his back and returns the money to Mr. Kelada without telling him.
Cause & Effect: Mrs. Ramsay lies to her husband, Mr. Kelada and the entire table when she states that the pearls are fake. She then goes behind her husband’s back and returns the money to Mr. Kelada (admitting to him that the pearls were In fact real. This leads the readers to believe that Mrs. Ramsay is not a truthful person. It causes us to believe that she is able to lie when it suits her needs.