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The question mark is used after a direct question: "Where are you going?""What for?" It is not used in indirect questions: He asked her where she was going. It may also be used in other contexts, e.g., in creative writing, to indicate that somebody is wondering about something (He assumed she had gone to visit her mother. But why had she taken her passport?), or in journalism to anticipate a reader's question (How is the tax calculated? It is based on the current market value of the property). The question mark may also indicate uncertainty, especially when placed before or after a date: François Rabelais (1493?-1553). The question mark may mark a sentence that has the function but not the structure of a question: You're from New York then? It may be omitted from a sentence that has the structure of a question, but is not intended as such: Will you keep quiet for a minute.
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