Are they just asking you, or are they asking all parties at the table?

As proper formal dining service usually looks down upon clearing any individual plate until everyone has finished. Unfortunately, not everyone follows the signal of putting their fork and knife together, or not everyone does it properly. Just have your fork and knife in a reasonable proximity to one another is not enough to be unambiguous, so long as there remains some food on the plate.

Having worked in a restaurant, there are plenty of times when I've been deceived by someone unknowingly putting their fork and knife a little too close. So sometimes it's best to check. Same with nearly-empty wine glasses.