You give Copilot two examples of input and output, then ask for a third. Which technique is this?
Why D is the answer
Few-shot prompting
Few-shot means providing examples. Zero-shot means giving instructions with no examples.
In detail
- Giving a few examples before the request is few-shot prompting.
- Use examples when a format is hard to describe in words.
Use case
An illustrative scenario, not a real incident.
A developer shows Copilot two examples of a log format, then asks for a third. It follows the pattern, which a plain instruction had not achieved.
See it in different ways
flowchart LR A["Start general"] --> B["Add specifics"] B --> C["Give examples"] C --> D["Break up big tasks"] D --> E["Review and refine"]
mindmap
root((Prompting))
Examples
Zero-shot
One-shot
Few-shot
Structure
General, then specific
Small tasks
Target
Tests first
Context
New thread when staleflowchart TD
Q{"How many examples?"}
Q -->|"None"| A0["Zero-shot"]
Q -->|"One"| A1["One-shot"]
Q -->|"A few"| A2["Few-shot"]Key point: Few-shot means giving examples.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Content exclusion
- Content exclusion limits what Copilot can read.
- B. Chain summarization
- That is not an example-based technique.
- C. Zero-shot prompting
- Zero-shot uses no examples.