A retelling answer recounts events in order but never says what the question asked for. The repair is to put the answer first, then use one or two events as proof.
This lesson is part of answer construction and recall in the SPM Bible Knowledge learning guide. The passage is original, written for practice, not a prescribed text.
The original passage
“Ida found a wallet at the bus stop. She looked inside and saw a card with a name and a telephone number. She sat on the bench for an hour, and when a man came running back she handed it over with everything still inside.”
The question
“Why did Ida wait at the bus stop?”
A retelling answer
“Ida found a wallet at the bus stop. She looked inside and saw a card. She sat on the bench for an hour. A man came running back and she gave him the wallet.”
Every sentence is true. The answer never says why she waited, which is exactly what the question asks. A marker has to work out the reason for themselves.
The answer-first check
Read only your first sentence and ask: “Does this answer the question word?” For a why-question the first sentence should contain a reason.
| Question word | First sentence should give |
|---|---|
| Why | A reason |
| How | A method or way |
| What | A specific thing or fact |
| Compare | A similarity or difference |
The rewrite
“Ida waited so that the owner could find his wallet. The passage says she ‘sat on the bench for an hour’ after she found it, which shows she expected him to return. When he came running back she ‘handed it over with everything still inside’, so her waiting protected what belonged to him.”
The first sentence answers. The next two give evidence and explanation. The events from the retelling are still present, but now they serve the point.
Why the retelling feels safe
Retelling feels safe because it cannot be wrong: the events happened. The price is that it leaves the thinking to the marker. Focused answers take a small risk, because the point could be wrong, and that is the thinking the question pays for.
If the point is supported by a phrase from the passage, the risk is small.
Check yourself
Rewrite this retelling so it answers “What did Ida do to show honesty?”: “Ida found a wallet and opened it. Then she sat down. After an hour a man arrived and she returned it.”
Answer
“Ida showed honesty by returning the wallet complete. The passage says she ‘handed it over with everything still inside’, so she did not keep anything for herself. Her waiting for an hour before the owner returned also shows she intended to give it back.”
The first sentence states the point. The quotation gives the evidence. The last sentence adds a supported second reason.
What to study next
Practise using a short plan before you write by reading planning a concise passage-based answer. Then use the evidence-and-explanation self-review checklist to check a whole draft.
If you want a teacher to read your own answers line by line, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition, which starts with a one-hour trial class (from RM50).