Second, all problems must involve an issue. Third, the question must be answerable. Fourth, the question must be stated specific enough so as to indicate the kind of data one would need to answer the question and from what sources one could possibly gather the information about the question. Without meeting these four criteria, the question would not meet the criteria of a problem. First, all problems are stated in question form.
Questions serve humans as a means of inquiry.
They are the ways of expressing 'specific' human concerns in language form. Wendell Johnson in his classic text, People in Quandaries, makes the case for the importance of asking incisive and crucially clear questions. He says there cannot be a precise answer to a vague question. What distinguishes the scientist is his ability to state problems so that the technicians can make the machines yield facts that are significant. Whereas questions invite inquiry, contentions or answers to questions do not invite inquiry.