Answer Modes
Answer Modes are predefined levels of response depth that determine whether SonaMinds should provide a quick answer, a standard explanation, a deep research response, a clarification, or a refusal.
Answer Modes are predefined levels of response depth that determine whether SonaMinds should provide a quick answer, a standard explanation, a deep research response, a clarification, or a refusal.
Different questions require different answer behavior. A visitor asking a simple suitability question should not receive a long research report. A learner asking for help may need guidance rather than a direct final answer. A researcher asking for multi-document synthesis may require deeper reasoning and more careful retrieval. SonaMinds uses Answer Modes to align response depth with the nature of the question.
Answer Modes are not merely stylistic settings. They are part of the structure of the answer system. They affect response depth, context selection, and the degree of reasoning expected in the answer.
Core modes
A quick answer is appropriate for simple FAQ, navigation, course suitability, pricing, or repeated short questions. It should be concise, accurate, and grounded in the appropriate knowledge scope.
A standard answer is appropriate for ordinary explanation, content lookup, guided learning, revision, and moderate conceptual clarification. It may use retrieved materials, but it should not treat the request as a deep research task unless the user explicitly requires that level.
A deep answer is appropriate for complex synthesis, strategy, expert analysis, multi-document reasoning, or research-oriented inquiry. Deep mode is reserved for complex synthesis and research-oriented inquiry, and is therefore governed by stricter response requirements.
Clarification is appropriate when the request is under-specified, ambiguous, or impossible to route responsibly. Refusal is appropriate when the request is unsafe, abusive, or clearly outside the system boundary.
Why answer depth matters
Answer depth is not a measure of value by itself. A short answer can be better than a long answer if the user asked a simple question. A deep answer can be necessary when the question involves theory, methods, and evidence. The purpose of Answer Modes is to prevent over-answering, under-answering, and answering outside the intended scope.
In SonaMinds, Answer Modes connect question understanding to answer generation. They help the system decide the appropriate response depth, context selection, and level of reasoning.
Conceptual boundary
Answer Modes are not the same as tone settings. Tone concerns how an answer sounds. Answer mode concerns what kind of answer the system is expected to produce. A deep answer may be written simply. A quick answer may still be formal. The mode controls structural depth, not merely style.