INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMATION

       We getting the information we need using questions and answers.

Question (lat – quaestio – search for answer) – linguistic expression that record the requirement to eliminate unknown in knowledge.   

Question sign “?” appeared as a resalt of transformation of the first and last letters of the above latin name “qo”, what were written for the abbreviation. Different lenguages have different inscriptions of this sign. In Spanish “¿” (sometimes placed at the beginning of a sentence), in Persian – “ ؟ ”, in Greek the dot is placed on top.      Like yin is connected with yang so the question is connected with the answer. Wikipedia gives the following definition: “An Answer is new judgement that clarifies or supplements, in accordance with question posed, original knowledge”. 

Based on the above definition of the question the following definition of the answer can be given. The answer is information eliminating the unknown in accordance with the question posed (asked).

The difference between theory (the ideal variant) and practice is that this information may not eliminate the unknown for the questioner or eliminate it partially, or be misleading i.e. the answer may be low-quality information (incomplete, useless, wrong generalized, unclear, misinformation is provided to obtain a benefit for the respondents or due to an incorrect idea and etc.).

Therefore, my final definition of an answer – it is any information providing (arising) as a result of the question asked (even silence, which, as we know, can be eloquent). 

At the same time, the question itself contains certain information. For example, the question “Who was the first man to set foot on the moon?” contains information there was the person who was the first to fly to the moon. The information contained in the question constitutes its premises. This information defined the set to which the answer applies, i.e. it sets the domain of what is sought.

The question always generates an information (answer), even if the one answering keep silent in response, one asking will generate the parainformation – he did so because …

A question together with an answer allows you to get information about:

• the subject of the question;

• the respondent (source of information);

• the questioner.

You can divide a set of questions into types using various criteria. Choosing criteria, I will proceed from the structure, properties and forms of the information. That is logical because each information could be asked question, the answer to which it is.

Let’s first consider useless information. As we know it is divided into two types: irrelevant information and excessive information. Based on this all questions can be divided into:

• irrelevant questions – the questions, the answers to which are irrelevant information;

• excessive questions – the questions, the answers to which are excessive information;

• relevant questions – the questions, the answers to which are (should be) useful information.

As we already know, the information is divided also into quality and low-quality information. However, there is no division the questions in this regard, since, based on the definition of the question the requirement to eliminate the unknow is always requirement to obtain the quality information.

At the same time, the questions can be used for to identify (rather than obtain) low-quality information. As discussed above the provision of low-quality information in response to a question occurs due to conscious intent (deliberate reasons) or without such (undeliberate reasons).

Depending on the division of information by level of value all questions related to the case can be divided into:

• important – questions the answers to which are valuable information at least for the questioner;

• unimportant – questions the answers to which are not valuable information at least for the questioner;

• not very important.

Based on the ordinary analysis of the of the level of information value strategic questions and meta-questions should be considerate as important. We will consider these kinds of questions in more detail later.

At the same time the gradation of the value of question, as well as information, may have a different cut. The value can be individual and group, i.e. information and/or questions may have value for one person or for a group of people.

In case with a question since the roles of questioner and the answerer are different if the question is interesting to the questioner than it is an important question, if to answerer – good question, if to both at once – valuable question.

To obtain valuable information it necessary to ask questions such that the answers was valuable information. The set of such questions is Valuable Questions Map (VQM). When compiling the VQM it is important to use the patterns related to the value of information as discussed in this monograph.

Information can be divided into generalized and detailed. Accordingly, questions can be divided into:

• general – questions whose premises contain generalized information. The answers these questions are usually generalized information;

• detailed (concrete, private) - questions whose premises contain detailed information. The answers these questions are as a rule detailed information.

The example of the general question may be next: “How are you doing?”. The answers we hear in this case are usually generalized information: “Good, quite well, not bad”. Though the answer can be also detailed information, but this is exception to the rule.

The private (detailed) question for example to the same person would be the question: “Didn’t they renew your contract?”.

Revealing questions serve to reveal low-quality information. For example, when interlocutor told how he is doing but didn’t say that he is divorced. In this case the questions: “How is your wife?” or “Are you still married?” will reveal incomplete information in this case.

If questioner and answerer come to an agreement not to provide complete information on certain topics the convenient and/or pre-agreed questions serve such purpose.  

Questions that reveal incomplete information can be related to factual information or to plans, i.e. they can reveal the incompleteness of plans, absence of some variants. For example, putting questions to a referendum. I call this the second type of revealing questions as opposed to first type of revealing questions which are designed to reveal incomplete information among the factual information.

If the background of the question contains low-quality information than these are incorrect questions. A well-known example of such question is: “When will Peter stop beating his wife?”, although Peter never beat his wife, i.e. the background of the question contains fiction information.

A Variety of the incorrect questions are unclear questions of three types.

Unclear questions of the first type – when some informations are the answer to the question (one original – many images) and background of the question contain unclear information of the first type. For example, the answers to the question: “What cities are located on the Volga river?” can be:

• beautiful;

• large:

• Saratov, Volgograd, Tolyatti.

Unclear questions of the second type assume the presence unclear information of the second type in the premises (one image – many originals). For example, the question: “Is the middle button on the phone highlighted with the raised marker?”. However, there may be two middle buttons on the phone (among the function buttons and among the dialing buttons).

Unclear question of the third type presuppose the presence the unclear information of the third type in the premises (many original – many images). For example, the question: “I have a fever and nausea – have I been poisoned or is it a kidney stone?”.

A common sign of unclear question that there is no correct (unambiguously) answer for it.

Now let’s consider the cases when there is no information that is an answer to the question asked, or it is trivial, or there is a logical contradiction in the question premises. Let’s consider examples.

When the answer to the question doesn’t exist in principle: - “What is an example of integer whose name has not been, is not and will not be given by anyone ?”. When the answer is trivial i.e. is well known or is contained in the question itself: - “Between whom was Russo-Japanese War?”. When there is a logical contradiction in the content of the question: - “Was the car driving on the firs lane or on the last?”.

I define this category of the questions as stupid questions – the questions to which the answers cannot be given, either they are generally known, either there is logical contradiction in the premises.

Depending on the form of information, all questions can be divided into the questions and meta-questions – questions whose answers are metainformations. Meta-questions are a powerful tool for generating new valuable information and will be discussed below.

To complete the picture, I will give another type of questions. When the questioner use questions not to eliminate the unknown but to express his thoughts such questions are called rhetorical.

The type of question depends on the intention of the questioner. If, for example, the questioner has the intention to get the detailed information then the question he asked will be of the detailed type. If the questioner wants to find out with this question whether the provided information was a quality information and asks the same question, then now will turn into a revealing question.

Let’s consider our well-known example with the information from the British air force about a successful bombing. Question: - “How many of the hit targets were dummies?”. If the questioner just wants to know how many of the hit targets were a dummies then it is just detailed question. If the questioner set himself the goal to debunk the message about successful bombing (incorrect generalized information, i.e. law-quality information), then it is a revealing question.

Above we have considered the question as a tool to get information about the question object.

Now let’s consider the question as a tool to get information about answer.   

If the person whom the question is addressed cannot (should not) to know the answer, this question belongs to the type of the question that can be called questions to the wrong address. 

Sometimes redirection the question to someone who should have more quality information the answer use to avoid the answer here and now.

When the question is asked with the purpose of obtaining information not about the subject of the question but about the source of the answer then I call such questions testing questions.

For example, the question is asked the answer is known to questioner. If the answerer, for example, tells the lie then the conclusion is made the answerer is liar and an assumption (parainformation) is made why he is lying.

Testing questions are questions asked to obtain information about answerer. These are questions the answers to which are known in advance.

A question can serve as a tool for obtaining the information about questioner.

Note that from the position of respondent any question asked by questioner may carry information about questioner. For example, what political camp he belongs or what he (questioner) guesses and what he may know, what motivation he has in asking the question.

Therefore, from the position of answerer the question can be identifying.

An identifying question is a question that carries information about the questioner. 

In conclusion let’s analyse the methods of avoiding an answer.

In my opinion there are 4 methods of avoiding an answer. Here it’s important to note that these are cases when answer either doesn’t know the answer to the question but doesn’t want to admit it, or doesn’t want to tell the trust (to provide the quality information).

The first is simply refuse to answer (the answer – “no comments” or keep silent). In my opinion this is most dignified way.

The second is to give an answer using generalized information.

The third is to provide useless information in answer to the question:

• either talk about something other than was asked – information that is irrelevant (answer to other question);

• or to provide a lot of detailed on part of the question was asked – excessive information.

The forth is to transfer question on the addressee (the one who should obtain more quality information) knowing that he is currently unavailable., or offer to answer later.

Below is schematic representation of the structure of the questions in relation with the structure, forms and properties of the information that is the answer to these questions.