Summarizing questions

[Moon130]

Hi. I was wondering what does it mean when I'm asked to summarize a question? (Provide a summary of the question/statement) Does it simply mean to make the question shorter by summarizing it (Summarize with a question mark at the end ?) or do I answer the question by also including the question? (Like answering the question and make a reference (Mentioning) to the question in the answer?

For example (Including question and answer): Question: How many people are currently living in New York City? Summarized question: What is current population of New York City?

Or (Other example)

Answer with the question: There are currently 8 million people living in New York City.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi. I was wondering what [STRIKE]does it mean[/STRIKE] it means when I'm asked to summarize a question no full stop here (provide a summary of the question/statement).

Does it simply mean to make the question shorter by summarizing it (Summarize with a question mark at the end ?) or do I answer the question by also including the question? [STRIKE]Like[/STRIKE] For example, [STRIKE]answering[/STRIKE] do I answer the question and make a reference [STRIKE](Mentioning)[/STRIKE] to the question in the answer?

For example (including the question and the answer):

Question: How many people are currently living in New York City?
Summarized question: What is the current population of New York City?

[STRIKE]Or ([/STRIKE] Here is another example:

Giving the answer [STRIKE]with[/STRIKE] to the question: There are currently 8 million people living in New York City.

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

I don't really understand what you're asking. It's impossible to summarise "How many people are currently living in New York City?" You can shorten it to "How many people live in New York City?" but that's not the same.

Why do you need to summarise a question at all?

I don't know what you meant by the part I marked in blue in the quote box.

 

[Moon130]

Welcome to the forum. :hi:

I don't really understand what you're asking. It's impossible to summarise "How many people are currently living in New York City?" You can shorten it to "How many people live in New York City?" but that's not the same.

Why do you need to summarise a question at all?

I don't know what you meant by the part I marked in blue in the quote box.

How about summarizing "What search engine(s) was this browser configured to use?" or "What is the installation date of the operating system?"Is it possible to summarize any of these two questions? I'm assuming that if it is a short question (One or two sentences), it cannot be summarized and the question itself should be repeated exactly as it is.

Summarizing a question is a useful skill to have.

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't see a way of naturally summarising either question. Unless a question is really long and convoluted, I see no reason to summarise it. People are usually asked to summarise long texts (either as a school exercise or for a work report or similar). I'm not sure why you think summarising a question is a useful skill to have.

 

[Moon130]

I don't see a way of naturally summarising either question. Unless a question is really long and convoluted, I see no reason to summarise it. People are usually asked to summarise long texts (either as a school exercise or for a work report or similar). I'm not sure why you think summarising a question is a useful skill to have.

Okay. I understand. What you marked in blue earlier, I meant when summarizing a question, do I always have to summarize it with a question mark at the end? Or could I just summarize the question by just answering it fully (Answering it fully by also referring to the question = "There are currently 8 million people in New York City." Instead of just answering with a simple "8".)

Summarizing a question can help bring clarity and reassurance, a particularly useful skill to have in speeches and debates.

 

[emsr2d2]

Answering the question is nothing like summarising it. The two are unconnected. I'm wondering if you really understand what "to summarise" means.

 

[jutfrank]

Who is asking you to 'summarise' a question? Is it a teacher? Can't you ask them what they mean?

 

[Tarheel]

For starters, don't ask how many people currently live in NYC (or anywhere else). Second, please tell me how summarizing a question is reassuring. (Or how it clarifies things.)

 

[GoesStation]

Second, please tell me how summarizing a question is reassuring. (Or how it clarifies things.)

And what you mean by "summarizing".