diff --git a/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md b/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md
index 8940956f7..395c56245 100644
--- a/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md	
+++ b/spec/Section 3 -- Type System.md	
@@ -69,7 +69,11 @@ A schema defines the initial root operation type for each kind of operation it
 supports: query, mutation, and subscription; this determines the place in the
 type system where those operations begin.
 
-The `query` root operation type must be provided and must be an Object type.
+A schema must define at least one root operation type.
+
+The `query` root operation type must be an Object type; if it is not
+explicitly provided then a default Query object type only supporting
+introspection will be used.
 
 The `mutation` root operation type is optional; if it is not provided, the
 service does not support mutations. If it is provided, it must be an
diff --git a/spec/Section 4 -- Introspection.md b/spec/Section 4 -- Introspection.md
index 9418a3b7c..757a29e43 100644
--- a/spec/Section 4 -- Introspection.md	
+++ b/spec/Section 4 -- Introspection.md	
@@ -111,7 +111,8 @@ __type(name: String!): __Type
 ```
 
 These fields are implicit and do not appear in the fields list in the root type
-of the query operation.
+of the query operation. They are available even if the schema does not provide
+its own root type for the query operation.
 
 The schema of the GraphQL schema introspection system: