IPA IP 2026 Question 98
A question IPA Japan published in 令和8年度 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問98, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Which of the following is an appropriate explanation of prompt engineering in AI?
Explanation
Devising the questions, instructions, information and output format given to AI — prompt engineering shapes the input to get the intended answer.
A prompt is the input given to a generative AI such as a large language model. Prompt engineering improves that input without changing the model: stating the task clearly, giving the context and data it needs, showing examples, and specifying the output format (a table, a word limit, a list). The same model gives far more useful answers to a well-built prompt.
Answer (c)
Why not others:
- •(a) — acquiring general rules and knowledge from many cases and data is machine learning (inductive learning)
- •(b) — the symbol or text that shows input can be typed, such as
>on a command line, is also called a prompt, but showing it is not prompt engineering - •(d) — a computational model that imitates the network of nerve cells is a neural network
Key rule: In generative AI the prompt is the instruction given to the model, and prompt engineering is the craft of writing it so the output is what was intended.
Basic Theory · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.