Pop, as “the question”

ASK

Think of a short word that means to put forward a query, often done before making a big decision.

This clue plays on the phrase "pop the question," which is a casual way to say "propose marriage." The word "pop" here is used as a verb meaning to ask something suddenly or directly. So, if you take "pop" to mean "ask" in this context, the answer is simply "ASK," dropping the rest of the phrase for brevity.