Part D:

Asking Questions
Many writers get ideas about a subject by asking questions and trying to answer
them. This section describes two ways of doing this.
The Reporter's Six Questions
Newspaper reporters often answer six basic questions at the beginning of an
article: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? Here is the way one student
used these questions to explore the general subject of sports assigned by his
instructor:

Who? Players, basketball and football players, coaches, fans. Violence-I'm tired
of that subject. Loyal crazy screaming fans Giants fans.
What? Excitement. Stadium on the day of a game. Tailgate parties. Cookouts.
Incredible spreads-Italian families with peppers, stuff to spread on sandwiches.
All day partying. Radios, TVs, grills, Giants caps.
Where? Giants Stadium parking lot. People gather in certain areas meet me in
10-B. Stadiums all over the country, same thing. People party on tailgates, in
cars, on cars, plastic chairs, blankets.
When? People arrive early morning-cook breakfast, lunch. After the game,
many stay on in parking lot, talking, drinking beer. Year after year they come
back.
Why? Big social occasion, emotional outlet.
How? They come early to get space. Some stadiums now rent parking spaces.
Some families pass on season tickets in their wills!

Notice the way this writer uses the questions to focus his ideas about tailgate
parties at Giants Stadium. He has already come up with many interesting details
for a good paper.

Ask Your Own Questions

If the reporter's six questions seem too confining, just ask the questions you want
answered about a subject. Let each answer suggest the next question.
Here is how one student responded to the subject of teenage pregnancy:
What do I know about teenage pregnancy? I saw my sister's plans for her
future cut short by pregnancy. She won a high-school fashion design award, was
spunky, full of fun. Now, with a child to raise, she works in a diner. The father of
the child disappeared two years ago.
What would I like To know? Why do teenagers get pregnant? Teenage girls
think they can't get pregnant. Teenage boys think it's macho to get a girl
pregnant. Lack of knowledge of birth control methods. Teenage girls think that
having a baby will keep their boyfriends from leaving them. They think that
babies are fun to have around, to play with.
Where can I get more information? Guidance counselors at my old school.
Planned Parenthood. Interview my friends who had babies when they were still
teenagers. Talk to my sister.
What would I like to focus on? What interests me? I would like to know what
pressures, fears, and hopes teenage girls feel that would allow them to take the
chance of becoming pregnant.
What is my point of view? I would like teenagers to be aware of how their
lives will be forever changed by a pregnancy.
Who is my audience? I would like to write for teenagers-primarily girls-to help
them understand the problems of teenage pregnancy.

Practice 7:
Answer the reporter's six questions on one of the following topics or
on a topic of your own choice.
1.Drug addiction, 2. Sports, 3. Career goals 4.neighbors/neighborhood, 5. Music;
6. Family get together, 7. Living a simple life, 8. Choosing a major or
concentration

Practice 8:
Ask and answer at least five questions of your own about one of the topics
in Practice 7. Use these questions if you wish: What do I know about this
subject? What would I like to know? Where can I find answers to my
questions? What would I like to focus on? What is my point of view about
this subject? Who is my audience?