Meaning & use
key questions
Last updated
Meanings
nounplural
The most important questions that must be answered about a subject or problem.
Grammar: Always plural in this fixed phrase; use 'key question' (singular) for one main question.
Patterns
- key questions about something
- key questions for someone
- raise/answer key questions
The report lists the key questions we still need to answer about climate change.
Before the interview, she wrote down three key questions for the manager.
Journalists raised key questions about how the money was spent.
nounplural
The central points that a discussion, study, or test is designed to examine.
Grammar: Often used after verbs like 'address', 'identify', or 'focus on'.
Patterns
- address the key questions
- identify key questions
- focus on key questions
The course addresses key questions in modern economics.
Our research focuses on two key questions about memory and sleep.
The exam tests key questions covered in the first term.
Common combinations
- key questions about
- We need to answer key questions about safety before the trial begins.
- raise key questions
- The new evidence raises key questions about the original decision.
- address key questions
- The panel will address key questions from the audience.
- a list of key questions
- She prepared a list of key questions for the interview.
- answer key questions
- The study tries to answer key questions about how children learn language.
Synonyms and how they differ
- main questions
- Very close in meaning, but 'main' just means biggest or most important, while 'key' suggests these questions unlock the whole subject.
- central issues
- Similar, but 'issues' are problems or topics to discuss, not questions to be answered.
- core questions
- Almost the same; 'core' emphasizes the innermost, most essential part of a topic.
Opposites
Word family
- key question noun
- The singular form: one most important question.
- key adjective
- Most important or essential, as in 'a key point'.
Commonly confused: key questions or keynote?
key questions vs keynote
'Keynote' is a main speech at an event or the main theme of something; 'key questions' are the important questions themselves.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'key questions' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Key questions' is plural, so it fits with 'the key questions about the new law'. The other options wrongly pair the plural phrase with a singular article or verb ('a key questions', 'was key questions').
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “key questions”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.