The Art Of Questioning

Chongeswar

The Art of Questioning

Question. What is this? A common, simple question-a toddler asks when he observes something new after common things have been introduced to him. These innocent questions are answered and explained happily by parents or grandparents, sometimes even repeatedly, day after day. Slowly, the child graduates to the how and why of the things. Parents try to explain that too, but sooner or later parents/grandparents who were overjoyed by these innocent questions get exasperated and shut them down or postpone answering these questions or give them something else to play with. Slowly, the child stops asking questions and starts accepting things that are told by parents, teachers, elders, and society without asking many questions. This child may grow into a docile, obedient person or good citizen too, but chances of that child turning into a good student/learner/seeker become very slim. As he misses out on an important tool of learningthe art of questioning.

*We are all born questions. As we grow older, we stop asking them."  Anonymous*
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A word question can be traced back to the Quaere (a Latin word) which means to ask or to seek. Either you can question for the sake of asking inane questions/questions whose answers are obvious or ask a carefully crafted probing question after carefully examining the various aspects of the subject, which can open a set of logically possible answers. It will be better if a learner observes a subject as a child observes the new object from various angles, inquisitively roaming around a new object, most probably hands clenched together at the back. Later he can mature into asking questions after collecting all the information, factoring in the factors affecting the subject, positive and negative aspects, feelings, emotions, and any twist you would like to give to the subject. (1)

"*If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes."- Albert Einstein*

Any matter in a focus can be subjected to seven questions -What? Why? How? When? Where? Who? How many? Specifying the question clearly and understanding and knowing the characteristics of the answers help in decoding the complex concepts or subjects. Such as what answers fundamental properties, define clearly with examples and metaphors to make it more understandable: why answers reason, how answers process, when answers time, where answers place, who answers person, how many answers count. The more clearly and precisely you answer what, the easier it is to get the answers to the other questions. (2) 
These questions can be applied from basic school concepts to existential questions. These questions can be used in a range of subjects, from science (photosynthesis, water cycle, etc.) to history (Battle of Panipat), which will enhance understanding of the topic and encourage the students to ask which are skipped in textbooks, such as how many photosynthesis processes are?. Why was the Panipat Battle fought? Why did the Mughals invade India? Why was the battle fought in Panipat? Or even the question of the fascination of historians and quizzers with the battle of Panipat. (3) One should not be deceived by the simplicity of such interrogative words. These words have the ability to incisively decode even existential questions if valid means of knowledge and strict criteria for truth are applied.

*"Asking questions is the most important way of learning."  Anonymous*
 
The understanding of any of the topics taken above can be further enriched by the Socratic questioning method. Socratic questioning is a method of asking thought-provoking, open-ended questions to stimulate critical thinking, encourage deep reflection, and draw out underlying assumptions or beliefs. This method can be applied not only to philosophical questions but also to other subjects too. Studying these questions will evidently highlight the importance of questions in uncovering the holistic understanding of the subject.

*The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask."  Tony Robbins*

A person interested in learning the art of questioning should question the questionwhy was it asked? What was the purpose of the question? What is the focus of the question? On the same topic, how is a seeker or a student asking a question? And how is a teacher or a guru asking a question to test the knowledge? Is the question valid or invalid? Is it a trap or a trick question? Is the question complete? Analyse it further; place yourself in the place of the questioner/teacher/Guru. What kind of answer does the questioner expect? What does the question intend to seek?5

*"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."  Voltaire*

How the question has been framed can dictate the focus, direction and flow of the thought process on the matter in hand. For example, for the same intent of learning, a common question asked is, Can you teach me? Instead of Can I learn? In the first question, focus or responsibility is on the teacher or a guru, but in the second, focus is on the learner. A simple change in question will lead to a whole shift in perspective and focus. Consequently, this leads to more productive questions such as what are the abilities and qualities required to learn in what I am interested in? Why do I want to learn? What are the areas where I require improvement to facilitate faster and better learning? Contemplation on the above question will facilitate better desired effects/results.

"*It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question."  Eugene Ionesco*

In the era of shorts and reels, with complaints of decreasing attention span, there are podcasts that run for long hours. Variety is endearingslow interviews, gruelling interviews, casual interviews. All these can be studied for reasons that make them interesting, the questions and flow of the questions (are the questions organic or a fixed set of questions?), as it is of questions capability of understanding how to ask a question, how to frame and ask a question. (4)

For once let us observe how to answer a challenging question. Embrace the question. Investigate and interrogate the topic thoroughly. Repeat the question a few times. Write down all the possible answers without biases, considering different aspects. Be patient. The answer to the question lies in the question itself. If you cannot become the question, at least be with the question and see the unfolding mystery of the answer. Now keep the factors intact and reverse the process to ask the right question. The art of asking a question has not been explored enough. The journey from a question to a right and thought-provoking question will take considerate effort and practice.
A fair culmination for an article about the art of questioning would be a question (actually a puzzle) whose answer is a question.

You are a prisoner in a room with 2 doors and 2 guards. One of the doors will guide you to freedom, and behind the other is a hangmanyou don't know which is which, but the guards do know.
One of the guards always tells the truth, and the other always lies. You don't know which one is the truth-teller or the liar either. However, both guards know each other.
You have to choose and open one of these doors, but you can only ask a single question to one of the guards.
What do you ask to find the door leading to freedom?
 
- Chongeshwar
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1. I am indebted to Six Thinking Hats and subsequent books by Edward de Bono for streamlining and broadening the thinking spectrum in my youth.
2. The path of the knowledge program helped me to graduate from what? How? and why? to a watertight, holistic set of questions.
3. As an experiment, the importance and understanding of this set of questions were discussed with hundreds of middle school students on 1.09.2023. The discussion started with a set of questions and applied to topics of science (photosynthesis and force). Later students wanted to learn history, and these questions successfully enrich the understanding of the history topic.
4. The reader is requested to watch and analyse a few podcasts from each category to study and analyse the questions. Rather than watching another podcast to find out what makes the long podcast interesting with secondhand opinions.
5. Asking a incomplete, trick and trap question is age old method to tease and test mantle of student/seeker.This method is popular amongst mathematicians.