<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n
Each free-response question will, of course, be about a distinct topic. However, this is not the only way in which these questions differ from one another. Each question will also need a certain kind of answer, depending on the type of question it is. Part of answering each question correctly is understanding what general type of answer is required. There are five important signal words that indicate the rough shape of the answer you should provide: <\/span><\/p>\n\u2022 Describe <\/span><\/p>\n\u2022 Discuss
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\u2022 Explain
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\u2022 Compare <\/span><\/p>\n\u2022 Contrast <\/span><\/p>\nEach of these words indicates that a specific sort of response is required; none of them mean the same thing. Questions that ask you to describe<\/i>, discuss<\/i>, or explain <\/i>are testing your comprehension of a topic. A description is a detailed verbal picture of something; a description question is generally asking for \u201cjust the facts.\u201d This is not the place for opinions or speculation. Instead, you want to create a precise picture of something\u2019s features and qualities. A description question might, for example, ask you to describe the results you would expect from an experiment. A good answer here will provide a rich, detailed account of the results you anticipate.<\/span><\/p>\nA question that asks you to discuss a topic is asking you for something broader than a mere description. A discussion is more like a conversation about ideas, and\u2014 depending on the topic\u2014this may be an appropriate place to talk about tension between competing theories and views. For example, a discussion question might ask you to discuss which of several theories offers the best explanation for a set of results. A good answer here would go into detail about why one theory does a better job of explaining the results, and it would talk about why the other theories cannot cope with the results as thoroughly. <\/span><\/p>\nA question that asks you to explain something is asking you to take something complicated or unclear and present it in simpler terms. For example, an explanation question might ask you to explain why an experiment is likely to produce a certain set of results, or how one might measure a certain sort of experimental result. A simple description of an experimental setup would not be an adequate answer to the latter question. Instead, you would need to describe that setup and <\/i>talk about why it would be an effective method of measuring the result.<\/span><\/p>\n