Asking questions serves a variety of purposes – but in teaching, asking questions, especially the right question at the right time can aid in the learning process. There are many different types of questions: 
- Research questions
- Casual questions
- Recall questions
- Rhetorical questions
- Closed and open questions
The categories of questions vary according to the needs of the questions. But in teaching and learning, questions serve a purpose to analyze how students think and also how new knowledge has been received. In looking at questions, ponder the purpose of the questions and the questioning strategy.
The following list of questions will aid in determining what the best practice to use to get the best results. Using the best question for the situation will determine the best response to learn what you need to know!
Probing Questions
Probing questions will help to get an insight into what someone has just said. This type of question will lead to uncovering greater understanding and any hidden reasons or emotions behind what an individual has said. This will require that the responder dig deeper than the first quick answer as the questioner can ask subsequent questions to dig deeper.
Probing questions can be used to:
- Clarify
- Increase critical awareness
- Refocus
- Prompt
- Redirect
Let’s look at each of these.
Clarifying
Clarifying questions are simply questions that ask for facts. They will add clarification or insights. They are used to provide more feedback and provide more information.
Some examples are:
“What, exactly do you mean?”
“Will you please rephrase your statement?”
“Could you elaborate on that point?”
“What did you mean by the term. . .?”
Increase Critical Awareness
Critical awareness is to uncover a belief or piece of knowledge that may be at the forefront of the individual. It will reveal deep rooted beliefs and knowledge when used effectively.
Some examples are:
“What are you assuming?”
“What are your reasons for thinking that is so?”
“Is that all there is to it?”
“How many questions are we trying to answer here?”
“How would an opponent of this point of view respond?”
Refocus
To refocus is to simply bring one’s attention back. Using questions can aid in pulling students back to what is important. This can be particularly helpful when someone’s attention is pulled away or they are daydreaming. It also aids when a student gets distracted by another point and forgets the main point.
Some examples are:
“If this is true, what are the implications for . . . ?”
“How does John’s answer relate to . . . ?”
“Can you relate this to . . . ?”
“Lets analyze that answer.”
Prompting
Prompting provides direction toward an answer. This is especially helpful -not only in getting the right answer – but in empowering students to find ways to solve problems and get answers.
For example:
Teacher: “John, what’s the square root of 94?”
John: “I don’t know.”
Teacher: “Well, what’s the square root of 100?”
John: “Ten.”
Teacher: “And the square root of 81?” John: “Nine.”
Teacher: “Then what do we know about the square root of 94?”
John: “It’s between nine and ten.”
Redirect
Questions can easily be redirected to another individual by adding a name or by adapting the questions slightly.
For example:
Teacher: “What is the theme of Hemmingway’s ‘Old Man and the Sea’?”
Sam: “It’s about an old man’s courage in catching a fish.”
Teacher: “Mary, do you agree?”
or: “Mary, do you think it’s that simple?”
or: “Mary, can you elaborate on Sam’s answer?”
Factual Questions
Factual questions are those that recall knowledge. They are exactly what the names says they are – merely a question that requires a fact-based answer. When asking this type of question, be aware that there will be only one right answer. This question will provide an answer that can be verified.
Factual questions:
- Often start with who, what, when or where.
- Do not involve feelings or opinions.
- Provide insight into how much a learner knows.
- Allow the educator to determine what needs to be learned.
There are two different types of factual questions:
- Simple
- Complex/logical
Simple
Simple questions will get a simple answer. It is best used to determine exactly what a learner knows in a direct manner.
Some examples are:
“Who is the main character in Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone With The Wind?”
“During which century did Shakespeare live?”
“What is the Spanish verb meaning to run?”
Complex/Logical
Complex or logical factual questions are organized into an order or a sequence. This type of question is still based on facts, but it requires a deeper concentration and knowledge of events.
Some examples are:
“What are the steps a bill goes through before it becomes a law?”
“What is the commercial method for producing hydrochloric acid?”
Divergent Questions
Divergent questions are questions with a variety of answers. There will not be a wrong or right response. It is an opportunity for a student to think about many answers. Think of it as a question that will start brainstorming. It may even be used to direct a student to arrive at a correct response.
The divergent question is valuable in helping individuals in developing higher critical thinking skills. They are used to analyze and evaluate information. From that point, the student can derive a new outcome or come up with a myriad of responses.
Educators can use divergent questions to guide students in recognizing varying results.
Some examples are:
“What might happen if Congress passes a law preventing the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States?”
“How would the story have been different if John had been a tall, strong boy instead of disabled?”
“If you were stuck on a desert island and the only tool you had was a screwdriver, what, use might you make of it?”
“In what ways would history have been changed had the Spanish Armada defeated the English in 1588?”
Higher Order Questions
Think of higher order questions as a way to help students to solve problems. They are, in essence, problem solving, logic and judgment questions. This type of question will require an individual to recognizes patterns and create a schema related to facts they’ve already known.
There are several types of higher order questions:
- Evaluation
- Inference
- Comparison
- Application
- Problem-Solving
Evaluation
Evaluation questions will require the student make a judgment, a value call or a choice to compare ideas or objects. The end results will be to establish standards.
Some examples are:
“Which of the two books do you believe contributed most to an understanding of the Victorian era? Why?”
“Assuming equal resources, who would you rate as the most skillful general, Robert E. Lee or Ulysses S. Grant? Why?”
Inference
Inference questions will always require either inductive or deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is a logical reasoning methodology that promotes an individual to come to a general conclusion based on experiences, observations and/or facts while deductive reasoning, also called deductive logic, will use one or more statements to reach a logical conclusion.
An example of deductive reasoning is a logic puzzle, comparing several statements to determine the facts. Another example of deductive reasoning is the tree is green; the grass is the same color as the tree; therefore, the grass is green.
Logic problems are wonderful in developing this skill. (Click on the link to some free logic puzzles.)
Some examples are:
“We have examined the qualities these world leaders have in common. What might we conclude, in general, about qualities necessary for leadership? Why?” (Inductive)
“If the temperature of the gas remains the same, but gas is taken to an altitude of 4000 feet higher, what happens to the pressure of the gas? Why?” (Deductive)
Comparison
Comparison is exactly as it seems. It is mere the determination if objects or ideas are similar, related or contradictory. This type of question is useful in building a schema of facts and thinking for students – to create connections between information.
Some examples are:
“Is a mussel the same thing as a clam?”
“What similarities and differences exist between Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Pericles’ Funeral Oration?”
“What is the connection between Social Darwinism and the Supreme Court actions of the late nineteenth century?”
Application
Application questions prompt an individual to use information or facts. They can also be used to aid a student in applying information in a different format than originally learned. This type of question can be used in classifying objects and events with common characteristics (concept) and also to develop relationships between two or more ideas (principle).
Some examples are:
“How was Gresham’s Law demonstrated in the Weimer Republic of Germany?”
“Can you think of an example to fit this definition?”
Problem Solving
This type of question can be most valuable to an instructor as it permits the teacher to see some unexpectant answers and connects. When using problem-solving questions, the student will apply knowledge to solve a problem. It is that simple in a definition, but it is more complex in the thinking process. It will require that the student sees relationships between facts and knowledge to the problem. The individual will need to recognize the problem and then apply the solution by using materials, knowledge, facts and even situations to solve the issue. The student will learn to break down the problem into component parts and then related it to a whole to develop a solution as needed.
Sadly, this type of question has had a bad reputation and even causes trepidation for individuals. Remember problem solving questions in math? But don’t let this taint your thoughts on using problem solving. It develops higher order thinking skills that are essential throughout a lifetime.
Some examples are:
“Suppose you grow up with the idea that dogs were bad. Out of the many dogs you came into contact with, none bit you when you were quite young. How would you react towards dogs now? Would the type, size, etc., of the dog make any difference as to how you react? Explain the notion of prejudices using this example.”
Affective Questions
Affective questions simply determine the feelings, values and attitudes of another. They are most useful in helping individuals to gain an understanding of self and others.
Some examples are:
“How do you feel about that?”
“Is that important to you?”
“Would you like to . . . ?”
Structuring Questions
Structuring questions related to the learning environment. That simple. They can be both rhetorical or desiring an actual response. They can even be used to pull the attention of the learners back to the present.
Some examples are:
“Are there any questions?
“Any further comments?”
“Is the assignment clear?”
“Would you repeat that?”
“Are we ready to continue?”
Questions are often used with little thought, but with deliberate intention, questions can be used more effectively to elicit the desired response and prompt the student to higher thinking skills. Individuals can be taught more excellently through effective questioning skills.
The right questions will lead to the right answers.
Sources:
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2021). Question Types, Teaching and Learning. Thank you to UNL for the examples.
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