How to Formulate Questions
The correctness and appropriateness of the answers that we get depends on the strength and correctness of the question itself. An insufficient response is elicited from a weakly constructed question. Before you even scrutinize the answers that were given, evaluate first the character of the question. Formulating questions the proper way is what generates an adequate answer.
The first step in formulating questions is to assess the level of importance of the basic question words “who,” “where,” “when,” “what,” “how,” and “why.” The first four are classified as informational since these questions generally gather factual information or knowledge such as “What is the goal for this activity?” or “Who are responsible in spearheading the event?” The last two question words belong to the analytical category since these questions require a higher level of thinking and a deeper means of understanding a concept.
The next step is to know how to prioritize within each category. A good basis to easily apply this is through the concept of Bloom’s taxonomy where the level of questions is organized from the lower order to the higher order of questioning.
Focus on the very important elements which can be used as the keywords in your question. Then, explore the different connections, precedents, implications, and causations of the question.
In asking questions that require analytical approach, consider gathering a few factors instead of focusing on just one. Always ask “why” as a way to make the response more deductive and specific.
