How to Ask a Question Intelligently

How do you ask a question that not only appears intelligent but also results in an answer that satisfies the knowledge you are seeking? There are two elements that you need to be concerned about in asking questions. Those elements are process and outcomes. The two side of the process element is perspective questions and evaluative questions. The outcome elements involve knowledge questions and action questions. The best questions involve both process and outcome elements in the question.

Here are some tips for asking more open-minded and informed questions that will help not only you but others to comprehend information placed before you, as well as extracting more information useful to you.

1. 1. Start with something simple. Asking something simple first lets the information provider know that you are about to state your opinion, but that you fully realize that you do not comprehend the whole story, and that you are hoping they can fill in some gaps. For example, "Have you heard about the latest modifications to the Farm Bill?" If this does not work ask a question you don't know and keep it broad. For example, "How is that project going?" If this still does not work go for narrow questions. "How has XYZ affected your work?" After that you will likely be able to bring the questioning broad again.


2. If you're using questions to gather knowledge, define exactly what it is you want to know. Before you pose a question, it is important to have a concept of what is unclear about the information in your head, otherwise you risk creating confusion and not getting an answer that satisfies what you seek to know. On the other hand if you're asking questions in a leadership role it is important that you do not specifically direct the question to which you have an answer. Doing so will only frustrate those you work with and they will begin to see you as a game player. Questions are not only about knowledge, they are also about action.
   
   
   
   
   1. Don't ask: "Can you tell me more about droughts in the Southwest?"
   
   
   2. Ask: "I've heard people saying that recent droughts in the Southwest are due to global warming, but others say it's just part of a natural cycle. Which do you think it is?"
   
   


3. Never ask a question in an aggressive manner. This indicates that you are only asking the question to prove to the other person that you are right and they are wrong, meaning that you are argumentative and not open-minded. Ask because you are genuinely interested. Otherwise, you will receive a defensive and less than helpful response.
   
   
   
   
   1. Don't ask: "Isn't it true that more people would be well-fed if we ate grains directly rather than feeding it to animals and eating their meat?"
   
   
   2. Ask: "Many vegetarians argue that there'd be more food available if society didn't invest in meat production. The argument seems to make sense, but do you know of any arguments on the flip side?"
   
   


4. Lay your concepts or ideas and assumptions on the table. Take care to make sure that the other person is fully aware of exactly what your current thinking is and why you think it. You can do this by stating who you are and what field you are working in, studying or researching. You do not have to be studying a course - anything about which you are passionate and spend much time learning about is "study" or "research".


5. Ask politely and second-guess carefully. You are seeking information to fill a gap in your knowledge and here is the person who may have the answer, so be polite! If appropriate, if you do not really feel comfortable with the response or feel that it does not respond to what you have asked, proceed gently by asking how they know this information. Ask what the general trend is that would short cut a path to that knowledge, meaning that you are seeking the tools to answer the questions yourself from this point onwards.


6. Be gracious. If you find the information provider is beginning to feel uncomfortable and maybe out of their depth, do not press the issues. Unless you are questioning in a professional capacity as a journalist, Senator or a lawyer, it is rare that a public grilling amounts to any good under most situations. As a member of the public or a student in class, you are seeking information, not a roasting. Back down and thank them. Often there will be time afterwards to chase them up and discuss things privately. Even if you are trying to extract information in the public interest, intelligent questioning will gather much information towards a good campaign.


7. Never ask a question that you are not willing to answer.

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Are you curious ?

This week NASA launched Curiosity, the new Mars rover, to explore the mysteries of the red planet. For millennia, we've gazed in wonder at the stars above our heads. Curiosity is intrinsic to our nature. As children, we naturally reach out to explore our world. Creative individuals--artists and scientists--never lose this intrinsic curiosity. 

Years ago as a college student at UC Riverside, I saw this quality in Linus Pauling when he spoke to a group of students gathered on the campus lawn. His blue eyes sparkled as he told us about his life as a scientist--following his curiosity, exploring new ideas. It was late afternoon. The sun's parting rays were at his back, but he had his own light, radiating exuberant energy and the joy of discovery. His bright spirit has been an inspiration for me ever since.

Curiosity lights our lives, inspires us to seek out answers. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found that a "hungry mind" is as significant as intelligence and effort in determining academic performance (von Strumm, Hell, & Chamorro-Premuzic, 2011). Always asking "Why?" intrinsically curious students are motivated not by test scores and grades, but by their own hunger for answers. I recall one student, Michael, whose persistent questions impressed some of his professors but annoyed many others--he even made one of them cry. Michael went on to medical school, becoming a successful researcher. Finding new treatments for diseases, he's still asking questions, still wondering "Why?"

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Curiosity, according to Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, is one of the twenty-four character strengths and virtues common to humankind. It is positively correlated with creativity, intelligence, problem-solving ability, autonomy, a sense of personal control, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. It is also associated with positive affect, subjective well-being, better long-term health, longevity, and positive interpersonal relationships.  Curiosity can be blocked by anxiety, guilt, and self-consciousness, but you can strengthen it with practice (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).

What are you curious about? What new galaxies would you like to explore? By following your curiosity, pursuing meaningful challenges, you can experience new levels of joy and fulfillment.

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How To Ask A Question

Last Wednesday I attended a debate at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, at which three men engaged in a lively, literate, and deeply-informed exchange. After they finished and the moderator opened the floor for questions, the usual thing happened. The questioners by and large had no questions. Instead they offered up prolix piles of words that led nowhere in particular. Some sought to show off what they mistook as their own superior knowledge. Others scolded. A few got lost in their own labyrinths. The closest we came to a question was the j’accuse rhetorical jab more or less in the form, “Don’t you agree that you are an ignorant buffoon?”

Some of the questioners were deliberately abusing their opportunity. That’s bad manners and an erosion of the civility that is needed for worthwhile public debate. But a good many of the questioners simply didn’t know how to ask a question. They were caught in the fog between wanting to communicate something that seemed to them urgent to declare and the need to ask.

Why has asking become so hard?

For surely we have all seen this. Events open to public response these days are swamped with people who don’t know how to ask questions. College campuses present some of the worst spectacles of faux-questioning prolixity and inconsequence. In principle, students and faculty members should have long since mastered the art or know enough not to display their incompetence. But no, they seem more and more possessed with a demon of self-expression that has recklessly discarded restraint.

The debate at St. Francis College focused on “the virtues of liberal Western Civilization compared to its Islamic rivals as expressed in author Ibn Warraq’s new book, Why the West Is Best.”  Warraq spoke first and was answered first by Paul Berman (The Flight of the Intellectuals), and then Sohrab Ahmari (Arab Spring Dreams).  The moderator was Fred Siegel (The Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life).  I was there because the National Association of Scholars, along with St. Francis College, Telos Press, and Encounter Books, was one of the sponsors.

The topic all by itself was sure to bring out some multiculturalists bent on sharing their irritation, as well as some Muslims determined to express their disdain for the apostate Ibn Warraq. And they indeed showed up and unselfconsciously testified to the accuracy of Warraq’s praise of the West for its openness to the expression of dissenting views and his criticism of modern Islam for its intellectual narrowness. But what happened during the questions-from-the-audience section happens all the time, regardless of the topic. Had this been the annual meeting of scholars at the Modern Luggage Association, there would have someone at the section on knapsacks pontificating on the superiority of the portmanteau, and someone else lost in an obscurantist account of baggage handlers in Baghdad.

Clearly we need help. This isn’t a matter of a deficit in “critical thinking.” It is a problem of recovering a lost art. Television and radio producers acknowledge this by filtering questions in advance or asking would-be questioners to submit their interrogatories in writing. We lose something important in this filtering. The questions that get asked are the ones moderators pick out to make their own points. We would be better served if people could ask their own coherent and pertinent questions.

Here’s how.

The best reason to ask a question is to contribute to the quality of the discussion that has already begun. You can do this if you can draw something more and perhaps unexpected out of the speaker you are addressing. “Mr. Rasputin, I admire your tunic. Do you consider fashion to be a revolutionary statement?”

Think of yourself as someone who seeks to enhance the occasion, rather than as an opportunity to show yourself to advantage. “Mr. Darwin, your description of odd wildlife in the Galapagos Islands is fascinating. Do you think evolution works differently on large continents?”

You have not been invited to give a speech. Before you stand up, boil your thoughts down to a single point. Then ask yourself if this point is something you want to assert or something you want to find out. There are exceptions, but if your point falls into the category of assertion, you should probably remain seated. “Mr. Nixon, you are unworthy of being president,” is not a question. “Mr. Nixon, what else would you have done as president if Watergate hadn’t gotten in the way?” is a question.

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Question periods are not really the right time to ask for factual details. You are not interviewing the speaker. “Mr. Hillary, what brand of shoes were you wearing when you topped Everest?” is a real question but not one that is likely to enhance the discussion. There are exceptions to this, as when the fact you ask about evokes a larger meaning.  “Mr. Hillary, what do you consider was the most important piece of equipment you carried in your assault on Mt. Everest?”

Likewise, never offer up a roll call of your own facts or belabor them into a Perry Mason pseudo-question. “Mr. Malthus, are you aware that as economic development proceeds, birth rates decline, and that crop yields can be multiplied by a factor of x with the proper use of fertilizers, genetically-enhanced hybrid species, and market-based incentives?”

Weigh the usual interrogatory words in English: who, what, where, why, when. If you can begin your sentence with one of these you are more than half-way to a good question.  “Who gave you that scar, Mr. Potter?”  “What is a black hole, Mr. Hawking?”  “Where is the Celestial City, Mr. Bunyan?”  “Why are you wearing that letter, Ms. Prynne?”  “When will our troops come home, Mr. Lincoln?”

You will discover that, if you think in terms of these simple interrogatories, you will be able to skip right over the prologue. The right question evokes its own context. If, having formulated a question, you still think you need to set the stage for it, try again.

Don’t engage in meta-speech. “I was wondering, Ms. Steinem, if I might ask you a question that I am really curious about.” Go directly to the question. “Ms. Steinem, who is the man you admire the most?”

Look at the person you are addressing. Speak your question directly; don’t read it. Wait for the answer before you sit down. Don’t try to ask a follow-up question. If the speaker evaded your question the first time, he will evade it again. If the audience applauds your question, you are grandstanding and have failed an important test of civility.

The best questions are poised between attentiveness to what the speaker has already said and the chance to deepen the discussion. That means you should not try to introduce a divergent topic. “I appreciate your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster, Mr. Feynman, but are you not morally troubled by your work on the atomic bomb?” attempts to wrench the discussion to a new place. But, “Mr. Feynman, your analysis of the space-shuttle disaster shows the frailty of human judgment. How do you think that bears on other areas of advanced technology?” builds on the theme at hand.

A few people have a gift for witty, memorable questions. You probably aren’t one of them. It doesn’t matter.  A concise, clear question is an important contribution in its own right.

If someone ahead of you asks a similar question or if the speaker gets to your point before you ask, sit down. The audience doesn’t need to hear it twice.

Keep your autobiography to yourself.  This isn’t the occasion for a memoir. There may be exceptions. If you are the Count of Monte Cristo come to settle the score with the man who unjustly sent you to prison for 20 years, then have at it.  The audience will enjoy the show. Otherwise stick with the topic.

But don’t imagine you are there to right the grievances of humanity by shaming one of the oppressors. If you try this, you will annoy people, look like a fool, and most of all cast discredit on your cause. “Mr. Carnegie, aren’t those ‘free’ public libraries you keep building just meant to distract the workers from their exploitation?”

If you are tempted to speak “as” the representative of some category, resist. “As a native of Pittsburgh, I find your characterization of the open hearth Bessemer steel process historically uninformed and offensive,” accomplishes nothing. “Were there any viable alternatives to the Bessemer steel process in the 1860s?” would suffice. Declarations that begin, “As a woman…” “As an African-American…”  “As a Christian…” all carry the same instant discount in the audience. They claim a privileged form of knowledge that no one need grant you. Other people in the same category may have quite different views. Who appointed me to speak for Pittsburgh or you to speak for all womankind?

Lastly, you have a duty to be interesting. Brevity can’t repair a truly dull question. Knowing the difference between powerful concision and powerless vapidity is a matter of discernment, and the same words could be either. “What caused the Civil War?” asked at just the right moment in a debate about civil rights could be a brilliant question, but “What caused the Civil War” in a discussion of the Civil War would probably come across as tedious. If you aren’t sure which it is, silence is your best friend.

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Another batch of thought provoking questions

Thought-Provoking Questions

We have here just a list of some thought provoking questions, with no answers. If you wish to find answers to these or any other thought provoking questions, visit http://ecoffeeonline.com !

If ghosts go through walls, why don’t they fall through the floor?

Why isn’t evaporated milk a gas?

Why was it that in all different cultures the men always used to come first and never the women?

When you feel down, why do people ask what’s up?

In horse racing, why do they award the rider and not the horse?

If insects are so obsessed with bright lights, why don’t they fly off to the sun?

What happens if you die in your dream?

Why do people more commonly skip breakfast than any other meal, considering that this is the time when the stomach is emptiest?

How are children supposed to take medicine if it’s meant to be kept out of their reach?

Why do people talk about ‘girlie’ things but never ‘boyie’ things?

If you sneezed on a computer, would it get a virus?

Can you dream of having a dream?

Why do we close doors and windows to reduce noise, considering that sound travels better through solids?

If Pinocchio said, “My nose is about to grow”, what would happen?

What did the designer of the drawing board go back to when his/her original design was a failure?

What sort of a vehicle did those huge 300kg tyres that are used in the World’s Strongest Man contests come off?

Why do we hang our clothes on a washing line and not a drying line?

Why do ‘a fat chance’ and ‘a slim chance’ mean the same thing?

Why does your nose run and your feet smell?

Why is ‘abbreviation’ such a long word?

Why are there seeds in seeded grapes, but no bones in a boned fillet?

When people go mental, why do they get physically violent?

Why do we never hear of people coming from ‘left west’ or ‘right east’?

What is an occasional table the rest of the time?

If you get a beer belly by drinking beer, do you get a pot belly by smoking pot?

Why is Friday 13th considered unlucky, considering that the Last Supper was on Thursday?

If you can enjoy yourself, why can’t you enjoy anyone else?

What would a burger of ham be called?

If dawn breaks, does dusk come together?

Why does ‘dyslexia’ have to be so hard to spell?

If you think you’re a hypochondriac, then are you one or not?

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

Does God believe that there are atheists?

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Important thought provoking questions about life

Important thought provoking questions about life

 

I believe that asking questions are often far more important than answering them. If you do not have questions, maybe you will never have answers. Absence of questions is an indication of indifference, apathy and often shallowness. Most people never seriously think about purpose of their lives and as they do not think about it, they do not know what they want in life. Each one of us has a destiny and a high call from God and asking questions is a process that will lead you to the answers about your life, your calling and your mission. Let me look today about some important thought provoking questions that every one of us should ask ourselves from time to time.

 

Would you cling to what you know or you would better try something new?

What holds you from achieving what you really want?

What motivates you on daily basis?

How do you use your time?

What has to happen for you to completely lose hope?

If you had to choose between security and freedom, which will one you choose?

How long can you do a job that you hate?

What kind of job would you choose: a boring and well paid or an interesting one and poorly paid?

Are you afraid of making mistakes?

Whose mistakes are you learning from: yours or those of others?

What do you do after making a mistake?

Career, money, friends, family, love! How would you rate them according to level of importance?

Are there white lies and in what situation you could tell them?

Do you believe that principle of “sowing and reaping” really works?

What are some of the principles or rules that you think you would not break under any circumstances?

What would you change about your life if you knew you had only twenty four hours to live?

If you could come back ten years, what would you do differently?

What do you do when you reach a ‘roof’ in some area of your life?

Would you do everything to prove you are right or you could make a compromise?

Which is more important: your beliefs or flexibility?

If you died today would you have a lot of regrets?

Do you really live or you only exist?

Do you compare yourself with more or less fortunate ones?

Do you concentrate on what you can or what you cannot?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Do you love or hate yourself?

What matters more your genes or your attitudes?

What movies and books have influenced your life most and why?

Which people have influenced your life most and why?

Which character quality would you like to develop most?

What are some of the important things that you are grateful for?

Do you believe there is a God and who He is?

Have you seen any miracles in your life? Do you believe they happen?

What is your mission in life?

What is your recipe for success?

Can external circumstances stop you from being successful?

Who or what is in control of your life?

What is the difference between being positive and positively naïve?

Are you a leader or a follower?

Can everybody be happy and why not everybody is?

What are your short and long term goals?

What do you need to change immediately about your life?

Have you made a plan on how you are going to achieve your dreams?

To what extent do you care what others think about you?

Can opinion of others stop you from doing something you want to do?

Do you help others expecting something back?

What is your greatest fear and do you do something to overcome it?

When you think about challenges do you concentrate on what you fear or what you desire?

If you caught a gold fish what wish would you ask it to grant for you?

How much have you “invested” on your self-improvement?

Where would be a ‘perfect’ geographical place for you to live?

Do you imagine what your dream house should look like?

Do you often see big problems when they are really small and small problems when they are really big?

If you thought about solution to all humanity’s problems what could that solution be?

What activities do you pursue in your free time?

Have your dreams already come true? Why? Why not?

What self indulgences do you have?

What do you think lack most in your life?

Do you think you have enough resources to achieve what you want?

Do you enjoy taking initiative or you like being given specific orders?

Do you lie to yourself and if you do why?

How do you budget your income?

Do you evaluate your progress each year?

How do you handle stress?

If you haven’t changed anything about your life anymore do you believe you will achieve your life goals?

Do you believe you have missed most opportunities in your life or the biggest opportunities are yet to come?

What are the ways that you believe you waste your free time?

If a person whom you love stands on your way to your dreams, what do you do?

How can you gain wisdom in life?

How much is enough for you in terms of money?

Do you often feel lonely?

Do you become more optimistic or pessimistic as you grow older?

Do you often stop and ask yourself questions like these ones?

 

As you may see these thought provoking questions cover a lot of areas of life. They have not been structured very strictly, but have been presented in quite a loose way. I do not think that all questions can be answered in a single way. Some of the questions will actually raise other questions. Do not be afraid of that. A mature person will often have more questions than answers, but that is not a problem. Being indifferent about your life is a much bigger problem for most people do not even come closer to what they have been called to just because they are indifferent. Hope the questions will help you to awaken lifelong purposes in your soul. God bless you!

 

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