focused the entire investigation

Question

"Comparing these questions with the guidelines. it seems apparent that two central questions focused the entire investigation."
(Kozinets, 2010, p: 81)

I searched the dictionary for the verb 'focus' with such usage but it was in vain.

Could you please explain why it was used that way?
Thank you

Avangi · Accepted Answer

HifaMo"Comparing these questions with the guidelines. it seems apparent that two central questions focused the entire investigation."

HifaMoCould you please explain why it was used that way?

Could it be ignorance?

I don't think it's correct.

On the other hand, you can focus a thing, and you can focus on a thing.
You focus a telescope on a thing.
Perhaps in this case the "telescope" is the investigation.
I think it works!

HifaMo · Answer

Thanks but I didn't really get your point.

I hope to see other replies.

Avangi · Answer

HifaMo"Comparing these questions with the guidelines. it seems apparent that two central questions focused the entire investigation."

HifaMoCould you please explain why it was used that way?

Sorry I wasn't clear. I too found your example a bit unusual.
We would expect, "....it seems apparent that two central questions were the focus of the entire investigation."

I guess my telescope analogy was manque.

We typically focus something on something: We focused our attention on the dog fight.
But we can back up a step, and say that something focused something on something.
The computer focused the telescope on Mars.

But we can omit "on Mars." We don't really need all three elements to express a complete thought: .
The computer focused the telescope. .
This is the way your original example sentence uses "focused."
The two central question focused the entire investigation.
The questions brought the investigation into focus.

focused the entire investigation

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