Which of the following best describes the four core ingredients of an effective AI agent prompt?
ARole, Task, Context, and Constraints
BQuestion, Answer, Example, and Format
CGoal, Tone, Audience, and Length
DPersona, Topic, Keywords, and Deadline
Explanation: Role, Task, Context, and Constraints are the four ingredients introduced in S1.C1; together they tell the agent who it should act as, what to do, the situation it is operating in, and the boundaries it must respect. Option C is the most tempting distractor because Tone and Audience feel prompt-related, but they are aspects of Constraints or Context — not the four top-level ingredients themselves.
Q2 / 7UnderstandLO-S1-1
An engineer writes the prompt: "Summarize this report." The agent returns a generic, surface-level summary that misses what the engineer actually needed. Which ingredient is MOST clearly missing?
ARole — the agent does not know whose voice to use
BTask — the agent does not know what action to take
CContext — the agent does not know who the summary is for or why it is needed
DConstraints — the agent has no formatting rules to follow
Explanation: The verb "summarize" is a clear task, but the agent has no information about audience, purpose, or the report's domain — that is missing Context, which is why the output feels generic. Option D is tempting because formatting is often weak in vague prompts, but constraints would only sharpen the shape of the answer; the deeper reason the summary misses the mark is that the agent had no situational grounding.
Q3 / 7ApplyLO-S1-2
A Mold & Manufacturing Engineer types: "Help me with the defect issue." Using the 4-step rewrite checklist from S1.C2, which rewrite is the strongest clear prompt?
APlease help me solve the defect issue on our line as soon as possible.
BAct as a senior injection-molding engineer. Diagnose likely root causes for a recurring flash defect on Mold #7 (ABS resin, 220°C, 80-ton press) over the last 3 shifts. List the top 3 causes ranked by likelihood, with one check for each. Keep it under 200 words.
CYou are an AI. Tell me everything you know about manufacturing defects in plastic molding so I can pick what applies.
DSummarize the most common defects in injection molding and explain each one in detail.
Explanation: Option B includes all four ingredients — Role (senior injection-molding engineer), Task (diagnose root causes), Context (Mold #7, ABS, 220°C, 80-ton press, last 3 shifts), and Constraints (top 3 ranked, one check each, under 200 words). Option A is the most tempting distractor because it sounds polite and specific, but "the defect issue" is still a vague noun phrase with no role, no context, and no constraints.
Q4 / 7ApplyLO-S1-2
A Data & ERP Analyst writes: "Look into last month's numbers and tell me what's going on." Which single change would most improve this prompt according to the rewrite checklist?
AAdd a polite phrase like "please" and "thank you" so the agent cooperates better.
BAsk the agent to be creative and surprise you with insights you might have missed.
CReplace "the numbers" and "what's going on" with a specific dataset, metric, and the decision the analysis should inform.
DMake the prompt longer by listing every ERP module the company uses.
Explanation: The vague verbs "look into" and "tell me what's going on" plus the unspecified noun "the numbers" are exactly the patterns S1.C2 flags — the highest-leverage fix is naming the dataset, the metric, and the decision the analysis should support. Option D is tempting because adding detail feels useful, but unfocused detail (every ERP module) bloats Context without sharpening Task or Constraints.
Q5 / 7ApplyLO-S1-2
An Agile Program Manager wants to draft a status update. Which prompt best applies the 4-step rewrite checklist?
AWrite a status update for my project.
BAct as an Agile Program Manager. Draft a 1-page weekly status update for our 3-team mobile app program (sprint 14, 2 risks open, 1 dependency slipping). Use the format Highlights / Risks / Asks. Tone: confident but candid.
CGive me a long, detailed report on everything that happened across all my teams this quarter.
DYou are a project guru. Tell my stakeholders the project is going great and there are no problems.
Explanation: Option B specifies Role (Agile Program Manager), Task (draft a 1-page weekly status update), Context (3-team mobile app program, sprint 14, 2 risks, 1 dependency slipping), and Constraints (1-page, Highlights/Risks/Asks format, confident-but-candid tone). Option D is tempting as a "prompt with a role" but the task is dishonest framing rather than a genuine update — a role alone does not make a prompt good if the task and context misrepresent reality.
Q6 / 7RememberLO-S1-1
In the four-ingredient model, which ingredient is responsible for telling the AI agent the boundaries it must respect — such as length, format, tone, or things it must NOT do?
ARole
BTask
CContext
DConstraints
Explanation: Constraints define the boundaries — length limits, output format, tone, and exclusions — that shape how the answer is delivered. Option C (Context) is the most tempting distractor because background information often sets expectations, but Context describes the situation the agent is operating in, not the explicit rules the answer must obey.
Q7 / 7EvaluateLO-S1-1, LO-S1-2
A BioTech CEO writes: "As our Chief of Staff, summarize the Phase 2 trial readout for tomorrow's board meeting in under 250 words, focusing on efficacy, safety signals, and the go/no-go recommendation." Which critique of this prompt is MOST accurate?
AThe prompt is weak because it lacks a Role — the agent has no persona to adopt.
BThe prompt is strong: it includes Role, Task, Context, and Constraints, and the constraints are tight enough to produce a board-ready answer.
CThe prompt is weak because it gives the agent too many constraints, which will limit creativity.
DThe prompt is strong only if the agent already has access to the trial data; otherwise no prompt structure can help.
Explanation: The prompt cleanly hits all four ingredients — Role (Chief of Staff), Task (summarize the readout), Context (Phase 2 trial, tomorrow's board meeting), and Constraints (under 250 words; focus areas of efficacy, safety, go/no-go). Option D is the most tempting distractor because data access is a real concern, but the question asks about prompt quality — the prompt structure is sound regardless, and weak structure cannot be excused by missing data.