What is the main idea of the essay?

Rough diagrams can expose gaps in understanding and generate more precise questions. (The author repeatedly shows sketches forcing hidden uncertainties into visible positions, labels, arrows, and questions.)

Why does the author value crossed-out arrows?

They keep a visible record of ideas that were tested and rejected. (The essay says crossed-out arrows preserve failed guesses, allowing the page to retain part of the inquiry’s path.)

What does “precise” mean in the essay?

Exact and clearly located (The author contrasts precise questions with broad words and uses labels and locations to make uncertainty exact.)

What broad word does the author say can glide over a gap?

connects (The second paragraph gives “connects” as an example of a broad word that can hide an unexplained relationship.)

Drawing a Better Question: Level 3 Reading Comprehension Questions

I once thought a diagram belonged at the end of an explanation. First I would understand a machine, then I would draw a neat picture to show what I knew. My sketches refused that order. The moment I drew two gears, I had to ask where their teeth met and which way each one turned.

A sentence can glide over a gap with a broad word like “connects.” A drawing demands a location. If I cannot place a hinge, label a flow, or show the path of a force, my uncertainty becomes visible. The page does not solve the problem, but it tells me where the problem is.

This is why rough diagrams matter more to me than polished ones during inquiry. Their crossed-out arrows preserve failed guesses. Their empty spaces invite precise questions. A final illustration may communicate an answer, but a working sketch helps produce one. I draw not only to show what I know, but also to discover what I have not yet asked.

Comprehension questions