Reflective

Question

Hi,In the following sentence, does "reflective" mean opposite of "supportive", or does it mean "relating (to the context)"?"Read between the lines of these brief explanations.  For each one, ask a supportive or reflective question."Thank you, in advance.

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Using these terms without any explanation suggests to me that the terms are defined elsewhere, or are well known to the group who are doing this exercise.

"Read between the lines" means to "guess, or figure out" what is intended, when it is not directly stated.

To reflect on something is simply to think about it.
In my opinion, a reflective question would be one which indicated that you have been thinking about the "brief explanation."
The question might be critical. That is, you may find some fault with the explanation.

However, if you think the explanation is fine, your question might indicate this. I would call this a supportive question.
You are in support of what the explanation says.
(Actually, a supportive statement would make more sense.)

Personally, I think the whole thing is very strange.

If you could give a couple of examples of these "brief explanations" (which require one to "read between the lines" in order to understand them), it might shed some light on the matter.

Ladybird25 · Answer

Thank you very much, Avangi.

AvangiHowever, if you think the explanation is fine, your question might indicate this. I would call this a supportive question.You are in support of what the explanation says.(Actually, a supportive statement would make more sense.)

Thanks, I think I got it.

AvangiIf you could give a couple of examples of these "brief explanations" (which require one to "read between the lines" in order to understand them), it might shed some light on the matter.

Thank you. Here is an excerpt from my textbook. (Sorry for taking a lot of space here.)
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Read between the lines of these brief explanations. For each one, ask a supportive or reflective question.
For example:
explanation: We’re going to offer two packages. One at the top end of the market, priced around twenty dollars. The other, a middle-range product, around fifteen dollars and pitched for the mass market.
supportive question: So, you expect much higher sales on the second product?

a.
There are two people who can do this job. Ivan is the obvious candidate. He’s got plenty of experience. Then there’s Philippa. She’s very well liked in the company. But then, she’s a woman.
question:
(a man?)

b.
The weather’s got worse and we’ve had to invest more in protecting the plants. We don’t like passing on costs to our customers but I’m afraid there’s no alternative.
Question:
(price rise?)

c.
We’re moving to a cheaper part of town so we anticipate that our rent will come down. On the other hand, labour costs have gone up, so it’s difficult to be flexible.
Question:
(offer no discount?)
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The textbook gives an example of “supportive question”, but couldn’t that be “reflective question” as well, because s/he asked the question after thinking about the explanation?

Thanks again for your time.
ladybird

Anonymous · Answer

A "supportive" question apparently is one that does not challenge any of the facts in the statement. A "reflective" question is apparently when you "read between the lines" more and ask a more controversial type of question, one that challenges the facts in the statement.

In the example, the question accepts the facts of the statement (it's obvious that the $15 item is going to have higher sales) and so it is "supportive."

a. The statement is controversial and so this invites a "reflective" type question: "You've decided on Ivan just because he's a man?"

b. No real alternatives offered here, so the question will be "supportive": "So there's going to be a price rise?"

c. There are competing factors here - rent less but labor higher - so the question might be more "reflective" than "supportive": "So we can offer no discount this year, even with the rent decrease?"

Ladybird25 · Answer

Hi,
Thank ou so much for your help.
I get it.

ladybird

Avangi · Answer

Thanks lb and Anon.  <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/21.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/21.gif' alt='Emotion: yes'/>

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