In comparing DRA and DR-TA, which statement best captures the thinking demands of the two approaches?

• A. DR-TA relies on convergent thinking.
• B. DR-TA uses divergent thinking in addition to convergent thinking.
• C. Both approaches rely solely on memorization of passages.
• D. DRA emphasizes divergent thinking more than DR-TA.

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that these reading approaches engage students in active thinking, not just recalling text. DR-TA asks readers to generate ideas, predictions, and interpretations before and during reading—this is divergent thinking. At the same time, students must look for evidence in the text to confirm or revise those ideas, which is convergent thinking. So DR-TA blends both types of thinking: you create possibilities and then test them against the text.

DRA, by contrast, tends to emphasize guided comprehension through questions and retellings to ensure understanding of the material, focusing more on recall and locating explicit details rather than producing a wide range of interpretations. Because of that, the statement that both approaches rely solely on memorization doesn’t fit what these strategies require.

So the best description is that DR-TA uses divergent thinking in addition to convergent thinking, reflecting its goal of having students think creatively about meaning while also grounding those ideas in textual evidence.