Question

Read the excerpt from "How to Think Like a Researcher," a chapter from How to Find Out Anything.

But don’t throw your hands up in frustration and disgust just yet. Instead, let’s recast that open-ended question into a series of factual questions that you can answer.


How much did CEO Scott McNealy of Sun Microsystems earn in 2007?
What was the average salary paid to the chief executive officers at the ten largest computer companies in the past five years?
Who is an expert on computer industry compensation whom I can interview and quote?
What books can I consult that discuss compensation trends in the software industry?
By coming up with a series of factual questions to ask, the initial abstract question starts to take shape as a concrete project. These factual questions will yield to diligent research because answers to each of them can be found.

Which statement best explains the function of the bulleted list in this excerpt?

It introduces upcoming sections of the text.
It restates the previous section of the text.
It summarizes the primary focus of information in the text.
It provides examples to help clarify information in the text.

Answer 1

It provides examples to help clarify information in the text.

These bullet points demonstrate what the “series of factual questions” mentioned just before might look like, making the abstract idea concrete.