Download Question Ontology

What Are You Asking?
Clarifying the Ambiguity of
Open-ended Questions
Cameron Bosinski
Definition
Questions are speech acts that identify gaps in
information and request information to fill it
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Quibbles
• The example, as stated, is not a question.
o Please move your…
• But these variations are.
o Can you move your…?
o Will you move your…?
• This could be either a question or a command.
o Why don't you move your... (Command)
o Why didn't you move your...? (Question)
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What’s the Difference?
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Information vs. Action
• Information
o Description of an entity
• Action
o Movement of an entity
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Prior Work
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Types of Questions
By Intent
• Knowledge:
o Describe . . . ?
• Comprehension:
o Retell . . .
• Application:
o Why is . . . significant?
• Analysis:
o What are the parts or features of . . . ?
• Synthesis:
o What would you infer from . . . ?
• Evaluation:
o Do you agree that . . . ?
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Types of Questions
By Grammatical Form
• Yes-No
o
o
o
o
o
Is… this thing on?
Do… aliens exist?
Could… that actually happen?
Would… you like to dance?
Should… I stay?
• Alternative
o Which… way is faster?
• Wh-Type (Open-Ended)
o Who/what/where/when/how/why
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My Work
Open-Ended Questions
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Definition
Interpretation occurs when
multiple mutually exclusive answers
can correctly answer the same question
Continuants
What is it?
What is the site?
What is the color?
What is the size?
Continuants
Who is it?
Name
Who is the professor?
Who is the doctor?
Who is the lawyer?
Continuants
Where is it?
Where are you? (Stationary Site)
In Buffalo
Where is your pain? (Mobile Site)
My arm
Continuants
How is it?
How was the trip? (Quality)
Good
How much did it cost? (Quantity)
$100
Continuants
Why is it?
Why is exercise healthy? (Explanation)
Because it strengthens your heart
Occurrents
What was done?
What was taken?
What was finished?
What was bought?
Occurrents
Who did it?
Who is teaching the class? (Person)
Professor
Who ate the banana? (Agent)
Monkey
Occurrents
Where did it happen?
Where did the trip start? (Site)
NYC
Occurrents
When did it happen?
When does class start? (Time)
4pm
When does a neuron fire? (Requirements)
Above the threshold potential
Occurrents
How did it happen?
How did you get here? (Process)
By car
How do I get to the library? (Steps)
Turn left, go straight, its the second door
How did the fire start? (Cause)
Faculty electrical wiring
Occurrents
Why did it happen?
Why did you take this class? (Expectation)
To learn about ontologies
Why do you exercise? (Reason)
Because someone told me that it is healthy
Properties
Purposeful
Application
Universals vs. Instances
Continuants
Universals vs. Instances
• Universal Continuant
o What is it?
• Instance Continuant
o
o
o
o
o
Who is it?
When is it?
Where is it?
How is it?
Why is it?
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Continuants
Universals vs. Instances
• Neuron
o What is it?
• This neuron
o
o
o
o
o
o
Who is it?
When is it?
Where is it mobile?
Where is it stationary?
How is the (quality) of it?
Why is it (quality)?
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Continuants
Universals vs. Instances
• Neuron
o What is the neuron?
• This neuron
o
o
o
o
o
o
Who is the neuron?
When is this neuron?
Where is this neuron mobile?
Where is this neuron stationary?
How is the growth of this neuron?
Why is this neuron dead?
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Continuants
Universals vs. Instances
• Neuron
o A cell that releases neurotransmitters
• This neuron
o
o
o
o
o
o
N/A
N/A
In dish #45
In a lab at UB
It could be worse
Because it was infected with rabies virus
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Occurrents
Universals vs. Instances
• Universal Occurrent
o What is it?
• Instance Occurrent
o Where did it happen?
o When did it happen?
o How did it happen?
o Who made it happen?
• Why did it happen?
.
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Occurrents
Universals vs. Instances
• Transcription
o What is it?
• This transcription
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Where did it happen stationary?
Where did it happen mobile?
What time did it happen?
What must happen before this happens?
What is the process by which it happens?
What caused it to happen?
What are the steps when it happens?
Who made it happen?
• What was the expected outcome?
• What was the reason it happened?
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Occurrents
Universals vs. Instances
• Transcription
o Cellular process
• This transcription
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Buffalo, NY
Nucleus of Pancreas cell #439
4pm
Presence of ATP, DNA, RNA monomers and Enzymes
ATP hydrolysis
Binding of transcription factor to DNA
1. Transcription factor binding 2. Recruitment of Enzymes 3…
???
• Increased production of insulin mRNA
• Because the body needed insulin
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What about the Answers?
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Types of Answers
Does it or Doesn’t it?
Only One vs. More than One
How many?
Relative vs. Absolute Answer
Compared to what?/How much?
Always vs. Sometimes
Defined class
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Future Directions
• Experimentation
o Family Feud?
• Continuants and Occurrents
o Where and When?
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