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Ask useful questions of a long document

Start with an overview, ask about an idea, compare options, then turn the answers into a working note.

Practice with a made-up grant guide. This is not a real grant, and the answers are already written. No live AI.

What do you want to know?

Step 1 / 4

Now showing: 1. What is this document asking us to do?

Example response

1. What is this document asking us to do?

Document facts: the fictional microgrant supports a free learning or making activity for Maple Ward neighbours. A group can request CAD 300–1,000, with at most one award this round. It needs at least three adult ward-resident organizers.

Applications close on 15 October 2026, with decisions on 28 October. The activity must run in Maple Ward between 1 November 2026 and 31 January 2027, be open to all ward residents and have an access plan.

If funded, keep receipts and submit an activity note with receipts within 14 days after the event. Ask before changing approved costs or the activity.

Not supplied: scoring weights, a chance of winning, a contact address or the date of an advance payment. I cannot fill those gaps from this guide.

How to ask for this

Summarize the purpose, amount, deadline and responsibilities. Cite paragraph IDs for facts. Tell me what the guide does not say.

Why this works: An overview should help you decide what to read next. Notice the explicit unknowns, not just the summary.

Explore the fictional two-page guide

The two-page source guide

Read the source or follow the paragraph links in each answer. The two numbered pages are the whole fictional guide, not excerpts from a real program.

Page 1 of 2 · Maple Ward community microgrant

G1Purpose and amount

This fictional program supports a free, one-off activity where Maple Ward neighbours learn or make something together. An application may request between CAD 300 and CAD 1,000 for eligible costs. There is one award at most per organizing group in this round. The fund has a limited budget; meeting the rules does not ensure an award.

G2Who may apply

A group must name at least three organizers who are 18 or older and live in Maple Ward. One is the contact person. The group does not need to be incorporated. An organization may help, but it cannot replace the three resident organizers. The application asks the organizers to confirm these conditions; it does not ask for identity documents.

G3The activity

The activity must take place in Maple Ward between 1 November 2026 and 31 January 2027. It must be free and open to all ward residents, rather than members or invited guests only. The group must explain how people can enter and take part, including step-free access or an alternative accessible venue. A fundraising event or an event mainly serving a meal is outside this program.

G4Costs the fund covers

Eligible costs are room rental for the activity, consumable activity materials, and access support such as interpretation. Only costs for the approved activity are covered. Food, prizes, wages, reusable equipment and expenses paid before the award notice are excluded. Show each cost separately with an estimate; do not place excluded costs inside a general materials line.

G5Other support

A group may use its own money or other support for costs this grant does not cover, but it must list those sources. The same cost cannot be paid by two funders. Any requested grant amount must still fall between CAD 300 and CAD 1,000. Extra funding does not remove the activity rules on free public access, timing or purpose.

Page 2 of 2 · Applying and following through

G6Dates

Applications close on 15 October 2026. The program sends award decisions on 28 October 2026. Activities take place in the period on page 1. Do not commit grant money before the award notice. A change to the activity date after an award needs written agreement from the program before the change takes effect.

G7What to include

Submit a description of the activity, the three organizers and contact person, a proposed date and venue, the access plan, an itemized budget and other funding sources. A room estimate is enough to apply; a confirmed booking is not required at application time. Missing information may be requested, but an incomplete application is not promised extra time after the deadline.

G8How choices are made

Reviewers first check the group, activity and cost rules. Among proposals that meet them, they consider the clear benefit to neighbours, a realistic plan and a reasonable budget. This guide gives no numerical scoring weights, application count or past award rate. It does not say that the cheapest proposal will win.

G9If an award is made

The contact person accepts the agreed activity and budget before payment. Keep receipts for funded costs and send a short activity note with receipts within 14 days after the activity. Ask the program before changing an approved cost or activity. The award notice explains payment arrangements; this guide does not specify an advance-payment date.

G10Questions and limits

Before applying, ask the program about an unclear cost or access arrangement. The guide contains no contact address; use the contact details supplied with the actual application pack in this fictional scenario. No statement in this guide confirms that any particular proposal has been approved. Do not invent a contact address, a funding probability or an exception to the rules.

Back to the example

A method to reuse

  1. Give the tool only a document you are allowed to share. Ask for paragraph or page references and verify that they lead to the quoted rule.
  2. Ask for the overview first, then test your specific situation. Supply the situation separately so it cannot be confused with the document.
  3. Compare alternatives using the same conditions. Ask the tool to mark facts, unknowns and suggestions.
  4. Finish with a working note: known details, unanswered questions, next actions and owners. Go back to the source before taking a consequential step.

Before you use it

  • An answer can sound plausible while citing the wrong paragraph. Follow the links and check the actual condition.
  • Document facts and your proposal are different inputs. Keep that distinction in the note you share.
  • For a real grant, use its current official guide and ask its program contact about uncertain eligibility. This invented guide gives no advice about a real application.
Take the complete example

The text includes the source notes and every step for the selected reader. Copy it or select it by hand. Printing includes this pack too.

Prepare your own request

Fill in this worksheet with a non-sensitive example. It assembles your instructions; it does not produce an AI response. You can use the brief in an approved tool of your choice.

Your text stays in this page’s state; this lesson does not save or send it. Refreshing clears it. Copy anything you want to keep. Leave out personal or confidential data, and follow your organization’s rules in any other tool.

About this example

Original fictional source material created for this lesson by the SimpleDirect® team. Editorial review: 12 October 2026. These responses were not produced by an AI service. You can adapt this example pack.

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