💬 Ask a Better Question · Answer Key

1. Which question will get you the most helpful answer?

Goal: You want to know what a plant needs for photosynthesis.

• AChoice A: Tell me about photosynthesis.
• BChoice B: Why are some plants poisonous?
• CChoice C: What inputs does a plant need for photosynthesis, and what does it produce? ← answer
• DChoice D: Do you know about photosynthesis?

Answer: C. The best question names exactly what you want to know. “Tell me about photosynthesis.” is too broad, “Why are some plants poisonous?” is about something else, and a yes/no question won't explain anything.

2. Which question will get you the most helpful answer?

Goal: You want to know why astronauts float on the space station.

• AChoice A: Tell me about space.
• BChoice B: How much does a spacesuit cost?
• CChoice C: Why do astronauts float on the space station if gravity is still there? ← answer
• DChoice D: Do you know about space?

Answer: C. The best question names exactly what you want to know. “Tell me about space.” is too broad, “How much does a spacesuit cost?” is about something else, and a yes/no question won't explain anything.

3. Which detail should you leave out?

Goal: You want an AI helper's help building a website for a club.

• AChoice A: The club is about chess.
• BChoice B: My parent's credit card number ← answer
• CChoice C: We want a simple design.
• DChoice D: We want a page for news.

Answer: B. “My parent's credit card number” could identify you or be misused, and the AI doesn't need it to help. The other details are useful and safe to share.

4. Which detail is fine to share?

Goal: You want an AI helper's help preparing for a debate.

• AChoice A: I'm giving the opening statement. ← answer
• BChoice B: A photo of my ID card
• CChoice C: My full name, school, and class schedule
• DChoice D: My home address and phone number

Answer: A. “I'm giving the opening statement.” gives useful context without identifying you. Addresses, passwords, phone numbers, school names, schedules, and photos of you can be used to find you or get into your accounts.

5. What's the best thing to ask next?

Goal: An AI helper showed you an answer while you were learning to balance a simple chemical equation, but you don't understand it.

• AChoice A: Thanks! Now do the rest of them too.
• BChoice B: Can you explain each step and why it works, so I can try the next one myself? ← answer
• CChoice C: Can you make the answer shorter so I can copy it faster?
• DChoice D: Okay, I'll just write that down.

Answer: B. Asking why each step works turns an answer into something you understand. Copying an answer you don't understand won't help on the next problem or the test.

6. Which request will help you most?

Goal: You have a quiz soon on how to read a climate graph.

• AChoice A: Tell me exactly what will be on my quiz.
• BChoice B: Can you quiz me with a few practice questions and explain the ones I get wrong? ← answer
• CChoice C: Can you take the quiz for me?
• DChoice D: Make me a tiny cheat sheet I can hide.

Answer: B. Practice questions with feedback are one of the best ways to get ready. The AI can't know what's on your quiz, and taking it for you or hiding notes is cheating.

7. What's the best next step?

Goal: An AI helper tells you that a school is giving every student a free robot.

• AChoice A: Look for the original source and check a trusted site before believing or sharing it. ← answer
• BChoice B: Share it right away.
• CChoice C: Believe it, because AI is always right.
• DChoice D: Ask the AI to repeat it more confidently.

Answer: A. AI tools can make things up or repeat rumors. Finding the original source and checking trusted sites is how you find out. Sounding confident doesn't make it true.

8. Which question gets the fairest comparison?

Goal: You're choosing between a laptop and a tablet for schoolwork.

• AChoice A: Why is a laptop better than a tablet?
• BChoice B: Why is a tablet a bad choice?
• CChoice C: What are the pros and cons of a laptop and of a tablet for schoolwork? ← answer
• DChoice D: A laptop or a tablet?

Answer: C. Asking for pros and cons of both gives you a fair comparison. Questions that assume the answer get one-sided replies, and a two-word question gives the AI nothing to work with.