Imperativize and Referentivize Reference Sheet

This page gives examples of how to imperativize and referentivize question stems. If you are using Chatty (Chatty link), you can build these skills quickly by copying and pasting the relevant parts during Step 1. The examples below show the typical patterns used across the six Inside Out question types.

Imperativizing means turning the verb in the question stem into a clear command. Referentivizing means pointing that command to the exact part of the passage or text the question is asking about. In most skills this is a specific sentence or idea; in a few cases, such as Central Ideas, the referent is the entire passage.

• bold for imperatives

• italics for referents

Even in grayscale, that keeps the structure easy to read.

Command of Evidence

The referent is the specific claim the question asks you to support.

Passage:
Researchers studying shimmering beetles observed that some species wiggled with noticeably improved rhythm when exposed to gentle ukulele music. They proposed that the steady beat helped the beetles synchronize their little dance steps.

Stem:
Which finding, if true, would most directly support the researchers’ claim?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
Support the researchers who study shimmering beetles’s claim, which is that the steady beat helped the beetles synchronize their little dance steps.

When a noun phrase includes a modifying clause (such as “researchers who study shimmering beetles”), the possessive form may look odd when pasted into Step 1. This is normal. Use the exact words from the passage even if the possessive looks unusual. The goal is accurate referent tracking, not grammatical polishing.

Cross-Text Connections: Mutual Response

The referent is both authors. Imperativize the task (Describe what both authors), and tag each author as a referent.

Text 1:
Professor Stardrop argues that shooting stars are shy comets practicing dramatic entrances, insisting that their sudden bright streaks are intentional displays meant to be noticed.

Text 2:
Dr. Blinkle suggests that shooting stars are fragments of moon quartz released during lunar stretching exercises, claiming that the bursts of light show bits of moon rock breaking free under pressure.

Stem:
Based on the texts, both Professor Stardrop and Dr. Blinkle would agree with which statement?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
Describe what both authors, Professor Stardrop and Dr. Blinkle would agree with.

Cross-Text Connections: Directed Response

The referent is the author responding and the argument they are responding to. Imperativize the action (As X, respond to Y’s argument), with both identities and the argument tagged as referents.

Text 1:
Captain Petal claims that giant sunflower pirates roam the western meadows, collecting sunlight taxes from travelers. She insists that the sunflowers walk on their roots and can swivel their faces to intimidate anyone who refuses to pay.

Text 2:
Botanist Reef argues that sunflowers cannot walk but can tilt dramatically in strong winds. He explains that their sudden leaning creates the illusion of movement even though they remain rooted in place.

Stem:
Based on the passage, how would the author of Text 2 most likely respond to the argument made in Text 1?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
As Botanist Reef respond to Captain Petal’s argument, which is the claim that giant sunflowers walk on their roots and can swivel their faces to intimidate anyone who refuses to pay.

Inferences

The referents are the breadcrumbs the missing ending depends on (the details the student must infer from). Imperativize the task (Complete the end of the text), and tag only the parts that point toward the missing idea.

Passage:
Lena discovered that her pet hamster, Biscuit, had arranged all his sunflower seeds into perfect geometric patterns overnight. She also noticed that each pattern matched the shape of constellations she had shown him earlier that week. Startled, she realized that this probably meant ____

Stem:
Which choice most logically completes the text?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
Complete the end of the text, which is “Startled, she, who is Lena, realized that this, which is that Biscuit had arranged his sunflower seeds into perfect geometric patterns matching the constellations she had shown him earlier that week, probably meant”.

Rhetorical Synthesis

The referent is the goal the student wants to accomplish (the aim of the study, the reason, the cause). The notes themselves are not referents. Imperativize the action (Use the notes to), then aim the command at the goal.

While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:

• The Crystal Marsh Frogs hum softly at sunrise, producing shimmering soundwaves.

• A team of marsh acousticians wanted to understand why the frogs’ hums made the nearby flowers glow faintly.

• The team created tiny crystal resonators to imitate frog hums in controlled experiments.

• When the resonators vibrated at higher pitches, the flowers glowed more brightly.

• The scientists mapped which frequencies caused the strongest glow.

Stem:
Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to explain the goal of the research team’s study?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
Use the notes to explain the goal of the research team’s study.

Central Ideas & Details

The referent is the entire passage, because the central idea comes from the whole thing. Imperativize the task (State the central idea of), and tag the entire passage as one referent.

Passage:
Every night in Starwhisper Valley, enormous moths gather to rehearse their moonlight ballet, fluttering in perfect unison to guide lost travelers home. The valley’s residents claim these moths have followed the same choreography for centuries, adjusting their patterns only when the moon grows restless.

Stem:
Which choice best states the central idea of the passage?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
State the central idea of Every night in Starwhisper Valley, enormous moths gather to rehearse their moonlight ballet, fluttering in perfect unison to guide lost travelers home. The valley’s residents claim these moths have followed the same choreography for centuries, adjusting their patterns only when the moon grows restless.

Text Structure & Purpose

The referent is the specific sentence or detail whose purpose you are describing. Imperativize the task (Describe the function of), and tag only the underlined or targeted sentence.

Passage:
“How bright is it tonight?”
Many astronomer–bards of Starhaven begin their nightly observations with this question as they tune their enchanted telescopes to read the sky’s emotional weather. While most sky-readers focus on measuring starlight intensity, a small group of poetic observers studies how the sky’s brightness shifts when ancient constellations feel “moody.” These astronomer–bards believe the sky itself expresses subtle feelings through its glow.

Stem:
Which choice best describes the function of the underlined question in the text as a whole?

Imperativize and Referentivize:
Describe the function of the underlined question “How bright is it tonight?” in the text as a whole.