WHAT/WHY/HOW "[QUOTE]" TYPE OF QN FOR P2

For the compre paper, there's a common type of qn which contains a quotation which is pre-posed by WHAT/WHY/HOW. Usually, the answers required are different depending on whether the question is asking for the WHAT (meaning), WHY(reasons) or HOW(manner) of the quotation, e.g.

Explain WHAT the writer means by "he decimated the ass-hole". (ans: He killed the stupid, mean or contemptible person.)

Explain WHY "he decimated the ass-hole". (ans: The ass-hole ate his pet hamster.)

Explain HOW "he decimated the ass-hole" (ans: He fed him arsenic.)

However, sometimes, the answers can overlap, as in WHAT=WHY=HOW

e.g. WHY/HOW is the phrase "he is an ass-hole" true? (WHY=HOW here)

Another example is Q7 in the 2009 'A' level compre:

7. Explain how ‘specialisation has relieved us of these and similar obligatory daily tasks’ (lines 57-58). [2]

Lifted	Explained
Most of us, on the other hand, have our hunting and growing done for us, living as we do in complex economies, where specialization has relieved us of these and similar obligatory daily tasks…  Explain how ‘specialisation has relieved us of these and similar obligatory daily tasks’ (lines 57-58). [2]	Those who have expertise in specific areas…[½m] …free us from having to …[½m] …perform chores/ labourious or irksome jobs…[½m] …which are essential/necessary/ compulsory.[½m] Cambridge answer: Jobs that are irksome but essential, are done for us by those expert in them, so that we do not have to do them ourselves.

Looking at the answer, one would have thought that the question should be phrased thus: 

Explain WHAT the writer meant by ‘specialisation has relieved us of these and similar obligatory daily tasks’ (lines 57-58). 

This is a case where the meaning (i.e. WHAT) of the quotation is the manner (i.e. HOW) in which the quotation is possible, i.e. WHAT=HOW