Lesson 2: Asking the search several questions instead of one
35 min read·13 Oct 2026
Module 7 · Lesson 2 · About 55 minutes · Needs: Module 6 Lessons 1 and 2 (BM25, dense search, the weighted-sum hybrid, reciprocal rank fusion) and Module 4 Lesson 4 (recall@k, MRR, the paired bootstrap)
The situation
On 1 October 2026 a support agent typed "cracked jar covered?" into Kwame's prototype, then escalated. Module 6's hybrid search does better, but not enough: the archived 2024 terms, which say cracked jars are covered, come 2nd; the current terms, which say they are not, come 5th. The answer step reads the top 3.
Grace asks whether the search could try other wordings, or split the question. This lesson builds four ways, then measures whether any earns its cost. The Hollin data is simulated.