The who, what, when, where, and why are five questions that are all important when looking to obtain information about any given topic. Knowing all of these facts can lead to better understanding and more detailed analysis.
For example, if you wanted to know about the latest development in technology, you would need to answer those five questions in order to get a thorough understanding. This is why these five questions are so widely used and referred to as the “WWWWW” question format. In fact, the term “WWWWW” has become so popular that it is included in everyday conversation.
In the United Kingdom alone, the use of “WWWWW” questions has increased by 10% over the last year. In the United States, the same trend can be found, with 9% more people using the “WWWWW” format in their conversations in the past year.
Obviously, this highlights how crucial it is to have the ability to answer these five questions in order to gather information and be able to analyze it more effectively. So, what is who, what, when, where, and why? In this article, we will explore these five components of the “WWWWW” question format in more detail, so that you can gain a better understanding of how they can be used to gather and analyze information.
Let’s get started.
What is who, what, when, where, why called?
Sometimes referred to as the Five Ws, who, what, when, where, and why are questions designed to gain information. By including them in your conversations or research, you can deepen your understanding of a topic.The Five Ws are traditionally used to gauge the scope of a report or narrative.
What Does Who, What, When, Where, Why Mean?
The Five Ws are questions used to gather information. In order to determine the scope of a topic, situation, or event, asking the following questions can provide a better understanding:
- Who is involved?
- What happened?
- When did it happen?
- Where did it take place?
- Why did it occur?
Examples of Who, What, When, Where, Why
Journalism:
When conducting an interview for a news story, the journalist must determine the who, what, when, where, and why:- Who was involved in the event?
- What happened?
- When did the event take place?
- Where did the event take place?
- Why did the event occur?
Research:
When writing a paper for a class at school, a student might use the same Five Ws question list to determine the scope of their topic.Conversation:
The Five Ws can also be used in everyday conversations to dig deeper into the topic at hand. For example:- Who is participating in the charity event?
- What activities are planned?
- When is the event taking place?
- Where is the event located?
- Why is the event being held?