Rephrasing an essay question is one of the best skills for producing excellent writing. Not everyone has the proficiency to do exactly that. We have written this article purposely for that. So, how do you reword a question in an essay?
You reword a question in an essay by rewriting it, noting keywords, and imagining the right answer to it. Rewording a question is not changing the synonyms but rather, it is the understanding you derive from it. A single question can be rephrased into multiple variations.
Let’s also mention one important thing:
- Technically, there is no wrong way to rewrite a question in an essay. If that is the worry, then it shouldn’t from today.
- You only need to avoid writing something completely off the topic, but your vocabulary will help a lot.
Rewriting the essay question in your own words is a critical step that will help you understand its context at a deeper level. By rephrasing it, you will identify the objective of the essay and estimate the word limit.
You will be able to gauge whether it would be worth spending a few more hours on writing and reflecting upon the topic.
Rewriting the essay question helps to increase the clarity of the prompt.
Breaking the question down into two or three portions reveals the logic behind it. The process also makes your writing easy and more focused. Even if the essay prompt does not specifically ask you to rephrase anything, you could be better off doing so.
How to Rewrite an Essay Question
Step 1. Read the question twice
It is a good practice to read essay questions more than once. Your first reading is likely rushed and students often miss the key items needed. I have been a victim of this bad habit since my early grades in school.
Let’s use the example below to explain our steps for rewording an essay question:
In children with autism aged between 5 and 10 years, does Medication treatment provide better outcomes compared to educational therapy?
I know you think this is a complex question, but it isn’t.
Let’s look at it again.
All the words used in it are familiar. Why should it scare you? We can rephrase it many times over.
Step 2. Note the key phrases
From the example above, there are a few terms that can help us reword it properly.
Here are the keywords that we can take from the question above:
- Children aged 5-10 years
- Autism
- Medication treatment
- Educational therapy
Step 3. Move the helping verbs
Sometimes, moving the verbs around will change the question to the best alternative version.
The example here does not illustrate what moving the helping verbs can do to a question but it gives some hint about what you can expect.
If you need assistance rewording your questions, talk to us or order today.
Step 4. Identify the interrogative pronoun
The pronoun plays a key role in shaping how you will reword the essay question. Here were are talking about words like; why, what, when, how, whom, whose, etc.
A question that asks why may need a different compared with one that asks when. Because of these variations, you will always end up with separate approaches to rewording.
Examples
When did he come home? At what time did he arrive home?
Why did she come home? What reason brought her home?
Step 5. Consider the context and content
As explained above, there will always be variants of the question. Consider our case example. How many options do we have when rewording it?
- How does treating children aged 5-10 years using medication treatment compare with educational therapy for autism?
- Is treating autistic children aged 5-10 years with medication better than educating them to reduce symptoms of the condition?
There could be countless versions.
Is anyone answering your rewritten query capable of giving the same answer? If that’s the case, you have made it. Congratulations!
Here are additional factors to consider when rewriting your question in an essay:
- How does it make you feel? Satisfied?
- What arguments would someone make after reading it?
- What counter-arguments would someone have?
- Are there clear commonalities between the rephrased questions?
- Do the quizzes make sense and appear convincing?
Put your rewritten essay quiz through these lenses and see how it turns out.
Test
Please write down your answers for the following test questions. I will respond to your responses.
