B1 Level 1

STATING THE QUESTION

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Start - Up

Hello, apprentices! How are

you doing today? As you can
see, we have learned how to
use research tools and we had
a glance at a glossary of terms
that will come in handy when
we start writing our proposal.
But today, we need to state our
guiding question so we can
start our project.

Start - Up

These are the topics for this material:

Review question structures
Verbs to express knowledge
Emotional or rhetorical questions intonation
Lets jump into it!

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Warm Up

Warm Up
Anthony: What should I do?
Stacy: Hi, Anthony! Whats the matter? You look so pensive.
Anthony: Hi, Stacey! I was thinking about a good guiding question for our
project. I was wondering if you could help me write the question.
Stacy: Sure, no problem!
Stacy: First, tell me when the deadline to hand in the project is.
Anthony: Well, according to the schedule, we have to send our proposal
by the end of next month.
Stacy: Ok, that means we dont have much time, so, we need a clear and
specific guiding question. That way, we can comply with the deadline, as
well as with the objectives of the project.
Anthony: You are right! I think recycling is a broad topic; we need to
narrow it down more.
Stacy: Hmm what about if, instead of researching about recycling in
general, we narrow it down only to recycling paper?
Anthony: That sounds good!
Stacy: But, wait. It is still too broad. Lets think on the purpose of this
project, maybe that way we can come up with a very specific question.
What do you want to achieve by doing this project?
Anthony: Well I use a lot of paper, and I am sure other people do it too.
For example, look at all that garbage on the park! Who would do such
a horrible thing? Someone threw all this paper and Im sure most of it
wont be recycled.
Stacy: You should take that pile of paper with you so we can recycle it,
maybe thatll help us with our project.
Anthony: But I dont know what to do with the used paper in order to
recycle it.
Stacy: Thats it! Lets research about how we can recycle paper at home!
Its perfect. Its not too broad, its very specific, we can do it at home and,
most importantly, we are going to learn how to do it!
Anthony: It isnt expensive, is it?
Stacy: Not at all, its really cheap and it will help us save natural resources.
Anthony :That is great! Then, maybe our guiding question could be: How
can we recycle paper at home?
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Lets get inside

Stacy: Thats a good question, are you ready to start with our project?
Anthony :Absolutely! Lets go!

Lets get inside

As you know, writing a clear
and focused guiding question
is the key to develop a project
successfully. Here, I am going
to give you some steps that
will help you write a good
guiding question.

Up
LetsWarm
start!

Stacy: research question is a clear, focused, and concise question in which

you center your research or project. At the end of the project, you should
be able to answer your research question.

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Lets get inside

Choose a general topic.

When thinking about the question of your project, you should choose a
broad topic you genuinely would like to know more about. An example of a
general topic might be global warming or recycling.

Do some preliminary research on your general topic.

Do a few quick searches about the topic you chose in current periodicals
and journals. This will help you to check what has already been done
and said, as well as to narrow the focus of your research (George Mason
University, 2009).

Narrow your topic to a more specific one.

Think about the time you have to develop your project, the resources you
have available. Additionally, consider what specific part of the general topic
called your attention the most.
For example
Broad Topic: Global warming
Specific Topic: The effects of global warming in the artic iced area.

Start asking questions

After deciding on your specific topic, start asking yourself questions like
Why is this topic important?, How can I or other people benefit if I
research about this topic?
This will help you come up with a research question you can implement
at home or in your particular context, and also, justify why you need to
research about that topic in particular.

Make a list of possible guiding questions.

Generate a list of potential questions that are clearly written, concise and
focused. That way, you can have different options to choose from. Try
writing questions you can implement at home, or your neighborhood, and
also consider the time you have to hand it in.

Evaluate your questions and choose the most suitable one.

To choose your guiding question, try to evaluate each item of your list by
asking yourself the following question
1. Is my question clear?
2. Is my question focused?
3. Am I able to answer the question with the resources I have available?
4. Will I be able to answer the question and carry out all the project
activities on time?
5. Who is going to benefit from this project?
If you think one of your questions is clear, focused and well structured, you
can start your project!
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Lets analyze

Lets analyze

In this material, we are going to go over a quick review about the different
structures of questions weve been already studying. Also, we are going to
learn verbs to express knowledge.:

Review of question Structure

Verbs to express knowledge

Review of question Structure

Lets review the different types of questions in English. Click on the tabs to
navigate through each type of question. Pay special attention to the examples
Yes/no Questions
Remember:
Yes/no questions are the ones that can be answered with a simple yes or
no, or with the question repeated as a statement.
Yes/no questions are asked using the verbs be, have, do, or a modal verb.
Examples
Are you going to eat with us?
Has the party started?
Do you smoke?
Can I go to the bathroom?

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Lets analyze

WH Questions
Remember:

WH questions ask for information. These kinds of questions are called
this way because they include the letters W and H (except for HOW).

Tag Questions
Remember:
Question tags are the small questions that often come at the ends of
sentences in speech, and sometimes in informal writing (Swam, 2003).
Question tags can be used to check whether something is true, or to ask for
agreement.
Remember the structure: Negative after affirmative and vice versa.

Examples
You didnt speak to John, did you?

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Lets analyze
Direct & Indirect Questions
Remember:
Direct questions are the normal questions that we can ask to friends, family and
people we know well.

Examples
When is the deadline to hand in the project?
What time is it?
Indirect questions are more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a
person we dont know very well, or in professional situations.

Examples
Tell me when the deadline to hand in the project is.
Could you tell me what time it is?

Verbs to express knowledge

Now, lets learn how to use some verbs to express knowledge. But, what is the
meaning of knowledge?

Lets see

According to Blooms Taxonomy (1956, as cited in forehand , 2005), knowledge is

defined as remembering, of previously learned information.

Expressing knowledge involves different actions, like recognizing, memorizing, etc.

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Lets talk

Lets talk
Apart from all those question structures we just studied, there is one more
type of question we need to go over with.
Have you ever heard about questions that do not expect an answer? Although
it sounds weird, those kinds of questions exist. They are called rhetorical
questions.
Questions do not always ask for information. Sometimes, we ask questions
for other reasons, like drawing the attention of someone, or emphasizing an
emotion:

Sometimes, we ask questions with obvious answers when we really want to

mean another think.

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References

Do you remember my conversation with Anthony? He actually used a

rhetorical question. Lets recall what he said:

The intonation of this kind of question is different from the others. As your
feelings rise in an emotional situation, your intonation rises up along with
them.

The intonation of rhetorical questions varies depending on the emotion you

are feeling at the moment: sadness, anger, sarcasm, loving, fright etc. Lets
analyze the following example.

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If you have a car parked outside, and unexpectedly someone who cant see
the car asks you Wheres your car? Probably you would think that it has
been stolen and your emotions will affect your intonation as you repeat the
question. (Cook, 2002

In rhetorical questions, your intonation can go up ifyou are surprised, angry

or excited, and will go down if you are being sarcastic, disappointed
or pessimistic.

References
CRESWELL, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitave and mixed
method approaches (3rd Ed). Sage Publication: Thousand Oaks California.
FOREHAND, M. (2005). Blooms taxonomy: Original and revised. In M. Orey
(Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved on October 18th, 2013, from
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
http://goo.gl/NJOVGq
George Mason University (The writing center). (2012). How to Write a
Research Question. Retrieved on October 18th, 2013, from
http://writingcenter.gmu.edu/?p=307
N/A. (2006). Formulating a Research Question. Retrieved on October
17th,2013 from
http://goo.gl/IiXMhA
NAYLOR, H. & MURPHY, R. (2007). Essential Grammar in Use: Suppletary
Excercises. Cambridge University Press.

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Credits

References

SWAM, M. (2003). Practical English usage. Oxford University Press.

University of California. (2001). The Research Question. Retrieved on Octo
ber 17th,2013 from
http://goo.gl/cQSgRS

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Credits
Pedagogical Direction

Paul William Cifuentes Velsquez

Carlos Javier Amaya Gonzlez
Direction of Art
Cesar Augusto Pez Ramos
ICT Leadership
Yeison Arley Ospina
Quality management
Juan Carlos Rojas
Content support
Pamela Paola Polo brown
Script Composition
Rosa Isabel Gonzlez Moreno
Content Support
Rosa Isabel Gonzlez Moreno
Multimedia Development
Julian Camilo Cruz Bohorquez
Juliana Echeverri Gomez
Natalia Herrera Rico
Voices
Equipo Regional San Andrs

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