Which of the following best describes Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational…
2026
Which of the following best describes Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives?
Answer: B. A three-dimensional classification into Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor domains — ConceptBloom’s Taxonomy is a framework for classifying educational objectives — statements of what a learner should be able to do once instruction is over. It…
- A.
A single-dimensional classification focusing only on knowledge and memory
- B.
A three-dimensional classification into Cognitive, Affective, and Psychomotor domains
- C.
A system that classifies learning objectives only on the basis of emotions and attitudes
- D.
A non-systematic list of instructional activities without hierarchy
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a framework for classifying educational objectives — statements of what a learner should be able to do once instruction is over. It does not record the activities a teacher conducts; it sorts the intended learning outcomes themselves.
The framework rests on two ideas at once: learning is divided into separate domains, and within every domain the objectives are arranged in a hierarchy running from the simplest behaviour to the most complex, each level resting on the one below it.
Application
The scheme is set out domain by domain, each domain carrying its own ordered levels — the cognitive handbook came from Bloom’s committee in 1956, the affective handbook from Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia in 1964, and the psychomotor levels shown here from Dave’s later elaboration (1970):
Domain | Objectives it classifies | Levels, simplest to most complex |
|---|---|---|
Cognitive | Knowledge and intellectual skills — thinking | Knowledge → Comprehension → Application → Analysis → Synthesis → Evaluation (Anderson–Krathwohl 2001 revision: Remember → Understand → Apply → Analyse → Evaluate → Create) |
Affective | Feelings, attitudes, values and interests | Receiving → Responding → Valuing → Organisation → Characterisation |
Psychomotor | Physical and manual skills, coordination | Imitation → Manipulation → Precision → Articulation → Naturalisation |
Because the taxonomy runs across all three of these domains at once, the description that fits it is a three-dimensional classification into the Cognitive, Affective and Psychomotor domains.
Cross-check
Checking that description against the other readings on offer:
Knowledge and memory alone — recall is only the entry level of the cognitive domain, so a memory-only reading covers one level of one domain out of the three.
Emotions and attitudes alone — these define the affective domain, which is again one domain of the three rather than the whole framework.
An unordered list of activities — the taxonomy is hierarchical, its levels ordered from simple to complex, and it classifies learner objectives instead of the activities a teacher runs.