ANALYTICAL EXPRESSION

When you are answering questions about a report or presentation, it is important to

respond appropriately. As well as being polite, it is good to confirm that you
understood correctly. This lesson will focus on clear responses for when you both
know and do not know the answer.

            First, it is good to confirm that you understood the meaning of the question.
There are two basic ways to do this. The first is to repeat the question. A good way to
do this is to start with the phrase, “You would like to know…?” You can also
paraphrase the question before answering. Examples of both of these techniques are:

        Example: What is the temperature outside today?

        Repeat the question: You would like to know the temperature? It is  25
degrees.

        Paraphrase the question: The temperature outside? It is 25 degrees.

Another way to confirm that you understood the question is to include part of the
question in the answer. This way the listener knows that you understood the meaning
of the question correctly. If there are other people in a group, they also can clearly
hear and know what your answer refers to, since they might not have heard the
original question.

             Example: What is the temperature outside today?

             Part of the question in the answer: The temperature outside is 25

degrees.

            It is important to know that you do not have to answer every question. If you
do not know the answer, just say so. You can apologize politely.  For example, you
can say, “That is a good question. I am sorry, but I don’t know the answer.”  Never
make up an answer, because there could be problems later if you were wrong.

            If you are not positive about an answer, you can answer, but let the person
know that there is a chance the answer may be wrong. Use words
like maybe or about. You can start with, “I’m not sure but….” For example, “I’m not
sure, but I think the temperature is about 25 degrees.”

            When you answer a question, be polite. Thank the person for their interest.
You can say, “That is a good question,” or “Thank you for your question,” then
answer it. Even if the question has something that makes you angry, or is not related
to your topic, thank the person and move on. For example, “That is a good question.
However, I do not know the answer.”

            When someone asks a question, you should answer politely and clearly.
Repeat the question, thank the person for it, and do your best to give correct
information.
Soal :

1. What is NOT a good technique for answering questions? (if you do not know the
answer give your best guess)
2. What is the best response
if the question is not related to your topic? (I’m sorry, but that is not about the
subject, so I don’t know the answer)

3. What response shows a good example of repeating part of the question?

Question: What is the population of Chicago? (the population of

Chicago is about 270000 people)

4. What is a good example of paraphrasing the following question?

What is the average annual rainfall in the Amazon? (about how

much rainfalls in the amazon every year)

5. What is the best response to the following question?

What was the main resource you used when writing that paper?
(the main resource I used is for writing the paper was XYZ website)

6. What is the best response if you think you know the answer, but are not sure?
(I am not sure, but I think the answer is 300)
7. What is NOT a good response to the following question?

How long will that take to finish? (about two hours)

8. What is a good response if

you do not want to answer a question? (that is a good question but I am
unable to answer it rn)
9. What question best fits the following response?

The tallest African mountain is Kibo. (what is the tallest mountain

in Afrika?)

10. What is the best response to the following question?

Could you explain that process in detail? (what are the details of
the process? They are …)