Developing Study Questions

June 23, 2026

Posted by STLCC in Reading Resources 

From a young age, you learned the importance of asking questions. At one time you may have energetically raised your hand to answer your teacher’s questions, or maybe you didn’t want to be called on at all. Regardless, you learned the process of questions and answers.

In fact, you learned the importance of reviewing the questions at the end of a textbook chapter to prepare for tests, thus quickly learning the value of understanding questions and then formulating concise answers. Learning how to develop relevant questions, regardless of the subject, will help you prepare for any assessment and real-life situations, such as a job interview or a presentation.

Developing this skill will build your confidence, your ability to break down a question and use your learned knowledge to respond intelligently.

Using Contextual Clues

As you listen or read, you may not realize it, but you use contextual clues to identify key topics and formulate questions. College textbooks often highlight important vocabulary through subheadings, bold text, italics or different colors to capture your attention.

When reading articles, you may need to work harder to find key terms, but subheadings, graphs and diagrams can provide valuable clues. In scholarly articles, important terms are often featured in the abstract or executive summary, giving you a preview of their importance. Stay alert to these elements as you read.

For more help, check out our handout “Reading Scholarly Articles.”

Identify Important Topics

• Look at headings and subheadings in bold or italics and think about why they are important.
• Look for vocabulary related to the subject and think about why it matters.
• Identify important dates and people and why they are important to the subject area.
• If it is historical information, consider what movements, wars, treaties or political actions shaped the period.
• If it is psychology, identify important theories, studies, developmental milestones, disorders, leading psychologists and other relevant topics.
• If it is science, think about each discovery’s implications. Review case studies and note what is significant with each one.

Self-Testing and Levels of Thinking

As you delve into any subject, consider the type of information you want to learn. Are you focusing on basic facts like who, what, when and why, or are you looking to analyze and apply that knowledge? This distinction is crucial when developing your study questions.

The questions below, adapted from Kathleen McWhorter’s College Reading and Study Skills, will guide you in formulating different types of questions based on the knowledge you wish to gain. You can use these starter questions and levels of thinking for any subject.

Source: McWhorter, Kathleen. College Reading and Study Skills, 11th ed., Pearson, 2010, p. 407.

Developing Study Guides

Now it’s time to take action and put those questions to effective use. Write them down and think about the answers. Be sure to note where you found each answer in case you need more information later.

You can use notecards to quiz yourself or use apps like Quizlet to create a quiz. If you’re working in a group, divide the material and collaborate on quiz development. This will save time and allow you to test your knowledge together.