# Answering questions

A questionnaire answer usually has two parts, and most questionnaires expect
both: a yes or no response, and the written explanation behind it.

You need write access to your account, and the item must be **Needs Input** or
**Auto Answered** — an approved answer is locked until you change its status
back.

## The yes/no response

Choose **Yes**, **No**, or **N/A** at the top of the answer card. **N/A** is for
questions that don't apply to your organisation — which usually pairs with the
item being marked Not Applicable.

If a question doesn't call for a yes or no, leave it unset and answer in text
alone. You can clear a response you have already set.

Where the questionnaire restricts responses to a fixed list, those options appear
on the item instead, and answers use only those.

## The written answer

Select the answer to edit it in place. Four buttons sit beside it:

| Button | Does |
|---|---|
| Purple sparkle | **Enhance with AI** — turns a few words of rough notes into a full response |
| Tick | **Save** — keeps your changes and leaves the status alone |
| Green lightning bolt | **Save and Approve** — saves and approves in one go |
| Red cross | **Cancel** — discards your changes |

The lightning bolt is the one to reach for when you have finished with an item.
Working through a long questionnaire, it saves a click on every question.

## Regenerating an answer

Regenerating rebuilds the answer from your knowledge base and your sources. Use
it when the answer is close but not quite right.

1. Select **Regenerate Answer**.

2. Set **Answer detail** with the slider — low, normal, or high.

3. Add **Custom instructions** to steer the result, if you want.

   The chips below the box are shortcuts: *less technical*, *more detail*,
   *no product names*.

4. Select **Regenerate**.

The detail level and any custom instructions are shown under the answer, so you
can see what produced it.

To change the detail level for a whole questionnaire rather than one item, use
the slider beside the answer button before you
[start answering](/questionnaires/start-a-new-questionnaire/).

## Sync

Sync controls whether an item is answered automatically. **Sync enabled** items
are answered from your knowledge base and sources; **Sync disabled** items are
left for you to answer by hand.

Select the badge at the bottom of the answer to switch it. To change several at
once, select them in the list and use **Toggle Sync** in the bar at the bottom of
the screen.

**Regenerating needs sync switched on:** **Regenerate Answer** only appears on items that have sync enabled and are not
yet approved. Regeneration works from your knowledge base and sources, so an
unsynced item has nothing to regenerate from.

## Next steps

- [Questionnaire items](/questionnaires/questionnaire-items/)
- [Updating the knowledge base after a questionnaire](/questionnaires/updating-kb-after-questionnaire/)