Answering polar questions
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsStephen A. Boxwell, Kyle M. Brake, Keith G. Frost, Stanley J. Vernier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Adapting a polar question to a form answerable by a non-polar question answering system. Entities are identified in the polar question. A set of non-polar questions are generated by removing an entity and using the remaining entities to form a set of questions with the removed entities as the expected answers. The set of non-polar questions are presented to a non-polar question answering system, and a set of answers are received. The set of answers are scored to determine a polar answer to the polar question.
Claims18
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- receiving a question presenting an exclusive disjunction, wherein the question has natural language structure;
- generating a plurality of responsive questions requiring factual answers;
- submitting a query including the plurality of responsive questions;
- receiving a set of factual answers for each responsive question of the plurality of responsive questions;
- determining a polar answer based on the set of factual answers;
- and
- reporting the polar answer.
A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage media having stored thereon:
- program instructions to receive a question presenting an exclusive disjunction, wherein the question has natural language structure;
- program instructions to generate a plurality of responsive questions requiring factual answers;
- program instructions to submit a query including the plurality of responsive questions;
- program instructions to receive a set of factual answers for each responsive question of the plurality of responsive questions;
- program instructions to determine a polar answer based on the set of factual answers;
- and
- program instructions to report the polar answer.
A computer system comprising:
- a processor set;
- and
- a computer readable storage media;
- wherein:
- the processor set is structured, located, connected, and/or programmed to execute program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media;
- and
- the program instructions include:
- program instructions to receive a question presenting an exclusive disjunction, wherein the question has natural language structure;
- program instructions to generate a plurality of responsive questions requiring factual answers;
- program instructions to submit a query including the plurality of responsive questions;
- program instructions to receive a set of factual answers for each responsive question of the plurality of responsive questions;
- program instructions to determine a polar answer based on the set of factual answers;
- and
- program instructions to report the polar answer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.