Reverse Socratic Method

The “reverse Socratic method”: Force everyone to ask you questions about increasingly specialized topics until they get to the question you want. It's an idea of my own invention.

Newswriting exercise

The Assignment:


To reformat the opening of a newspaper article so that it's less clunky; punchier.


The Opening: 


"Maria Ramero, 23, of 154 East Lansing Blvd., in Riverdale, and her daughter, Jessica Ramero, 4, of the same address, were killed when their car collided with a milk truck at 4:13 p.m. at the corner of Wayne and First streets at Riverdale yesterday."


My Answers:


"Milk isn't always good for your bones. Maria Ramero, 23, and her young daughter were killed early this morning by a renegade milk truck."


"Got milk? A Riverdale mother and her four-year-old daughter wish they hadn't."