user: Part 1. Definition
In this task you will break down a question into the basic steps required to answer it.
 A question decomposition is a numbered list of operations that must be performed to answer the original question. Imagine explaining your question to a friendly droid by listing each action it should take in order for the question to be answered. Each step in our decomposition should refer to either an entity (known or unknown), a propery of an entity or a query operation (count, group, union, etc.)
 Here are the list of step templates and their description:
 Select: A select step is used to return a set of objects. There are no references to previous steps in a select step. template: Return [attributes]
 Filter: A filter step is used to return results from a previous step to which a certain condition applies. template: Return [#step] [condition]
 Project: A project step should return certain attributes of the results of a previous step. template: Return [attributes] of [#step]
 Aggregate: An aggregate step returns an aggregator function applied on a step's result. template: Return the [aggregator] of [#step].
 Group: A group step is an aggregator applied on attributes. template: Return the [aggregator] of [#step] for each [attribute]
 Superlative: A superlative step is used to return the result with a highest/lowest attribute among other results. template: Return [#step1] [where] [#step2] [is] [highest / lowest]
 Comparative: A comparative step is used when we need to compare an attribute with a number to filter results. template: Return [#step1] [where] [#step2] [comparator] [number] 
 Union: A union step is used to return results of two steps together. template: Return [#step1] [or / ,] [#step2]
 Intersection: An intersection step returns the result that two steps have in common. template: Return [attribute] of both [#step1] and [#step2]
 Discard: A discard step returns result of a step and excludes result of another step from it. template: Return [#step1] besides [#step2]
 Sort: A sort returns result of another step in a specific order. template: Return [#step1] [ordered / sorted by] [#step2]
 Is true: An is true step checks a condition on another result and returns a true or false. template: Return [is / if] [condition]
 Arithmetic: An arithmatic step operates an arithmatic operation on one or more steps. template: Return the [arithmetic op.] of [#step1] [and] [#step2].
Part 2. Example
question: What are the distinct creation years of the departments managed by a secretary born in state 'Alabama'?
Answer: #1 return secretaries 
#2 return #1 born in state 'Alabama 
#3 return departments managed by #2 
#4 return distinct creation years of  #3
Explanation: Referring to previous steps is vital in constructing multi-step decompositions. In this example each step refers to the step before to perform a single filter on it to reach the final result.
Part 3. Exercise
question: Find the first names and degree of all professors who are teaching some class in Computer Info. Systems department.
Answer:

assistant: #1 return the  Computer Info Systems department 
#2 return classes of #1 
#3 return professors of #2 
#4 return first names of #3 
#5 return degrees of #3 
#6 return #4 ,  #5