Context scoring adjustments for answer passages

A system, comprising:

• a data processing apparatus;
• and
• a non-transitory computer readable medium in data communication with the data processing apparatus and storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
• receiving a query determined to be a question query that seeks an answer response;
• for each resource of at least one or more resources:
• receive candidate answer passages, each candidate answer passage being text selected from a text section that is subordinate to a respective heading in the resource and each answer passage having a corresponding answer score;
• determining a heading hierarchy in the resource, the heading hierarchy having two or more heading levels hierarchically arranged in parent-child relationships, wherein each heading level has one or more headings, a subheading of a respective heading is a child heading in the parent-child relationship and the respective heading is a parent heading in the relationship, and the heading hierarchy includes a root level corresponding to a root heading;
• for each candidate answer passage:
• determining a heading vector that describes a path in the heading hierarchy from the root heading to the respective heading to which the candidate answer passage is subordinate;
• determining a context score based, at least in part, on the heading vector;
• adjusting the answer score of the candidate answer passage based, at least in part, on the context score to form an adjusted answer score;
• and
• selecting an answer passage from the candidate answer passages based, at least in part, on the adjusted answer scores.

A non-transitory computer readable medium in data communication with the data processing apparatus and storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• receiving a query determined to be a question query that seeks an answer response;
• for each resource of at least one or more resources:
• receive candidate answer passages, each candidate answer passage being text selected from a text section that is subordinate to a respective heading in the resource and each answer passage having a corresponding answer score;
• determining a heading hierarchy in the resource, the heading hierarchy having two or more heading levels hierarchically arranged in parent-child relationships, wherein each heading level has one or more headings, a subheading of a respective heading is a child heading in the parent-child relationship and the respective heading is a parent heading in the relationship, and the heading hierarchy includes a root level corresponding to a root heading;
• for each candidate answer passage:
• determining a heading vector that describes a path in the heading hierarchy from the root heading to the respective heading to which the candidate answer passage is subordinate;
• determining a context score based, at least in part, on the heading vector;
• adjusting the answer score of the candidate answer passage based, at least in part, on the context score to form an adjusted answer score;
• and
• selecting an answer passage from the candidate answer passages based, at least in part, on the adjusted answer scores.