--- title: "Question Cards" description: "Participants read a text, write factual question-and-answer cards, swap decks between small groups, and play a quick quiz game to test recall." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/que-cards/" --- # Question Cards Participants read a text, write factual question-and-answer cards, swap decks between small groups, and play a quick quiz game to test recall. **Time:** 35 minutes. Thiagi textra design adapted to 35 minutes to allow sufficient reading, writing, and gameplay. **People:** 8 to 24. Table teams of 4 to 6 participants swapping decks either in pairs or in a round-robin rotation if an odd number of teams exist. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Verify reading comprehension and recall specific factual details from an informational handout. **Use it when:** Use after delivering a policy, technical guide, or reference document when learners need to read closely and remember specific facts. **Skip it when:** Skip when the subject matter requires open-ended debate, personal reflection, or nuanced interpretation without factual right answers. ## Materials and tools - One reading handout or job aid per participant - Ten blank 3x5 index cards per participant - One pen or pencil per participant - One countdown timer visible to the room (or digital timer shared on screen) ## Before participants arrive 1. Print or prepare digital copies of the target reading document. 2. Count out 10 blank index cards per person at each table. 3. Arrange seating into tables of 4 to 6 participants. ## Say this to open We are going to turn our reading handout into a review game. First, read the text closely and write 10 question cards. On the front of each card, write a clear factual question. On the back, write the exact answer found in the text. Later, your group will trade cards with another table and play through their deck. ## How to run it ### 1. Read text and write question cards (15 minutes) Distribute the handout and blank cards. Each participant reads the text independently and writes up to 10 question cards. Each card must feature a single closed question on the front and the factual answer on the back. Neutral example: Front: 'What is the submission deadline for travel receipts?' Back: '30 days after travel.' Participants who prefer not to write may pair up, highlight text to dictate questions, or contribute fewer than 10 cards. ### 2. Shuffle and exchange decks (3 minutes) Divide the room into teams of 4 to 6. Each team pools all its member cards together into one combined deck and shuffles thoroughly. If there is an even number of teams, pair them up to swap entire decks. If there is an odd number of teams, have each team pass its deck to the next team in a clockwise circle so every team receives an unfamiliar deck. Place the received deck in the center of the table, question side up. ### 3. Play the quiz round (12 minutes) Play moves clockwise around each table. The active player reads the top card aloud without lifting it from the pile. Within 10 seconds, that player states an answer. Any teammate may immediately challenge by calling out a different answer. If there is no challenge, the active player flips the card; if correct, they keep it. If challenged, flip the card: whoever gave the correct answer keeps it. If nobody is correct, slide the card into the middle of the deck to recycle. Repeat until time expires or cards run out. ### 4. Review and clarify tricky points (5 minutes) Stop gameplay. Ask tables to set aside cards where the answers were disputed, ambiguous, or surprisingly difficult. Call on 2 or 3 participants across the room to share any text details that caused confusion. ## Debrief questions - Which questions or facts came up repeatedly across different cards? - What specific detail from the text was hardest to recall under the 10-second timer? - Which questions revealed ambiguities in how the source text is written? **Finished output:** A stack of participant-generated review cards and room-wide identification of ambiguous or frequently missed details. ## Remote Distribute the reading digitally in advance. Use breakout rooms of 4 to 6 people. Have participants enter their questions into a shared digital spreadsheet (Column A for question, Column B for hidden answer). Breakout rooms pass their sheet link in a circle to the next room. Each room designates a timekeeper or uses the meeting platform built-in timer, while the facilitator broadcasts the global phase timer via screen share. ## Hybrid Keep in-person attendees grouped at physical tables swapping physical cards. Place remote attendees in a dedicated virtual breakout room using a shared digital card app or spreadsheet to write and swap decks. Do not mix remote and in-person players in the same card-swapping team. Broadcast the master countdown timer via screen share or chat announcement. ## Access and participation choices - Provide digital screen-reader-compatible versions of the reading text. - Allow participants to contribute fewer cards or partner with a peer to write cards. - Participants may pass their answering turn without explanation by saying 'Pass' and letting the next person draw. ## If the session gets stuck **Participants write open-ended or subjective questions that cause arguments.** Remind participants before writing that every question must have a single factual answer stated directly in the text. If a dispute occurs during play, verify against the written handout. **Uneven table sizes make deck sizes mismatched.** Play with a fixed time limit rather than playing until decks run out. Remaining unplayed cards do not affect the outcome. ## Terms used here - Textra game: A training game framework designed around learning, retaining, and recalling information from written text or job aids. - Closed question: A question that has a single clear, factual, and verifiable answer rather than an opinion or interpretation. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Thiagi's Training Games archive (Copyright 1997, 1999 Sivasailam Thiagarajan / Workshops by Thiagi, Inc.) as 'Question Cards'. Retained the exact Thiagi Textra Game rules: writing closed Q&A cards from a text, pooling and swapping decks between groups of 4 to 7, 10-second answer limit, challenge rules, and recycling missed cards. UWT established a structured 35-minute timetable, neutral card example, rotational swap mechanic for odd team counts, remote and hybrid adaptations, and specific access accommodations. [The Thiagi Group](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/game-quecards.html) [The Thiagi Group](http://thiagi.net/archive/www/game-quecards.html) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/que-cards/