The higher order questions call for responses from students that require synthesis, analysis and evaluation. It is desirable to ask both higher order and lower order questions. Research finds professors tend to ask only lower order questions. There are several systems for classifying questions. One system classifies questions as convergent or divergent.
Convergent questions have a single or limited number of correct answers.
Convergent questions typically involve the recall of facts or application of knowledge to a specific situation. In some classification schemes, convergent questions are called closed questions. Divergent questions have many correct answers or even unknown answers. They are often used to get students to think or solve problems. Teachers typically asked convergent questions five times more often than they ask divergent questions.