Asking Clear Concise Questions

Asking clear and content relevant questions on exams are basic tenets of exam writing, as the purpose of an exam is to determine what the individual knows about a certain subject.  I have seen these concepts in play in the Czech Republic as well.   In the United States it is important to tell wait staff of food allergies so they know what to tell the cook.  However, due to cultural differences and language barriers, such conversations are not as possible for me here in the Czech Republic.  I have found that providing a long explanation that explains my allergy to dairy does not help me get the information I need about the food.   Often the wait staff would get frustrated with me, point to the menu and say this is it.  I would look at the description and still not see information about if the food was cooked in butter or not.  Since I do not speak Czech well, I figured I must shorten my English sentences and ask clear and concise questions in order to get the information I needed when ordering food.  The fewer words and more concise questions seem to lend themselves to better responses from wait staff.  Instead of the wait staff getting immediately frustrated with me, in general, many now response with a yes no answer and sometimes they tell me how it is cooked.   Thus it seems that simple direct questions are the most effective in learning what an individual’s knows.  Like exam questions it is best to ask questions that test the individual’s knowledge of the subject in question and not complicate matters by adding tricky language or other distracters.

Sorry this is late...wifi at the hotel doesn't work...