Answering Assignment Questions
Answering Assignment Questions
The Learning Centre • http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au In order to decide how to answer an essay question, you need to identify what the question requires in terms of content and genre. This guide outlines some methods to help you analyse essay questions.
Analysing a Question
Assignment questions can be broken down into parts so that you can better understand what you are being asked to do. It is important to identify key words and phrases in the topic.
Key Words
Key words tell you the approach you should take when answering an essay question. There are three types of key words: • Task Words • Content Words • Limiting Words These tell you what you have to do; the action you need to perform. These tell you what the topic area is and what you should write about. These limit and focus the essay, making it workable.
Understanding the meaning of words, especially task words, helps you to know exactly what is being asked of you. It takes you half way towards narrowing down your material and selecting your answer. Task words direct you and tell you how to go about answering a question.
Using Key Words
Look for the keywords in your essay question and underline them. Spend time working out what they mean. Use the glossary of task words included in this guide to help you.
An example essay question (from the school of education) Computers have had a significant impact on education in the 20th century. Discuss the changes they have made. Task word: Discuss Task words indicate what you are being asked to do. Task words are usually verbs (action words or processes). In this question, the task word is discuss. If you look up the definition in the glossary of task words used in essay questions below, you will see that to discuss (in an essay) means to ‘examine and assess by means of an argument’. Content word(s): education, computers
Content words set and define the essay topic area. Content words help you to focus
The Learning Centre • http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au In order to decide how to answer an essay question, you need to identify what the question requires in terms of content and genre. This guide outlines some methods to help you analyse essay questions.
Analysing a Question
Assignment questions can be broken down into parts so that you can better understand what you are being asked to do. It is important to identify key words and phrases in the topic.
Key Words
Key words tell you the approach you should take when answering an essay question. There are three types of key words: • Task Words • Content Words • Limiting Words These tell you what you have to do; the action you need to perform. These tell you what the topic area is and what you should write about. These limit and focus the essay, making it workable.
Understanding the meaning of words, especially task words, helps you to know exactly what is being asked of you. It takes you half way towards narrowing down your material and selecting your answer. Task words direct you and tell you how to go about answering a question.
Using Key Words
Look for the keywords in your essay question and underline them. Spend time working out what they mean. Use the glossary of task words included in this guide to help you.
An example essay question (from the school of education) Computers have had a significant impact on education in the 20th century. Discuss the changes they have made. Task word: Discuss Task words indicate what you are being asked to do. Task words are usually verbs (action words or processes). In this question, the task word is discuss. If you look up the definition in the glossary of task words used in essay questions below, you will see that to discuss (in an essay) means to ‘examine and assess by means of an argument’. Content word(s): education, computers
Content words set and define the essay topic area. Content words help you to focus