The
main issue
 All
questions contain a subject,
a topic, or a main issue.
This is what you have to
write about, deal with, or
solve (if it is a problem).
You
need
to understand
the
question to
work
out
what
you
should
write
about.
Do
this
when
you
are
looking
at
the instructions and key
terms.
Example
1
"What
were
the
causes
of
the
Russian
revolution
of
1917?"
This
question
asks
you
to
discuss
the
conditions
and
problems
in
Russia
which led
up
to the
revolution.
It
does not ask
about
the
events
of
the
revolution
itself.
The
word causes is
a
key
term
here.
This
is
the
main
idea
of
the
question.
You
could
easily
lose
marks
by
describing
the
revolution,
rather
than
the causes of
it.
Example
2
"The
Victorians
thought
'Children
should
be
seen
but
not
heard.'
Is
this
still
true
today?"
This
quote
comes
from
the
nineteenth
century.
Lots
of
people
at
that
time
thought
that
children
should
be
kept
in
the
background.
The
question
is
asking
you
to
consider
this
idea
-
and
to
compare
it
with
modern
ideas.
The
main
issue
here
is
changes
in
the
way
children
are
brought
up
and
treated.
The instruction
term is
'Discuss'
-
but
it
is
not
stated
directly.
Example
3
"Examine
the
significance
of
Iago's
role
in Othello."
This
question
asks
you
to
write
about
one
character
in
a
play.
It
is
asking
you
to
concentrate
on
this one
person and
his
importance
in
the
drama.
This
is
the
main
idea
in
the
question.
You
would
also
need
to
keep
in
mind
the
main
issues
of
the
play,
and
Iago's
relationship
to
them.
The instruction
term here
is
'Examine'.
|
