Discussion questions
teach_75ENG125: Introduction to Literature
How to Ask an Open-Ended Question
There are two ways of asking questions: close-ended and open-ended .
Close-ended questions
· Can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase such as “yes” or “no.”
· Are easy to answer and provide no details or analysis.
· Do not encourage in-depth or long-range thinking.
Open-ended questions
· Are likely to receive an in-depth, detailed answer.
· Ask the respondent to think and reflect on what he or she has read.
· Encourage critical thinking that leads the respondent to think beyond the reading assignment.
· Usually begin with “how,” “why,” or “what.”
Examples:
Close-Ended |
Open-Ended |
Do you get along well with your supervisor? |
How do you view your relationship with your supervisor? |
Who will you vote for in this election? |
What do you think about the two candidates in this election? |
Did you like that story we read for this week? |
What did you think of the story we read for this week? |
Did the protagonist act unwisely in the story? |
Why did the protagonist make the choices she did? |
Did you understand Macbeth? |
What were the consequences of Macbeth’s actions? |
General Open-Ended Question Template
· What do you think about ?
· In what way does the story/poem ?
· How would you interpret the character’s ______?
· How did the ending ?
· What was the problem ?
· Why did the story/poem ?
· Why did the character react ?
· What did it mean when ?
· How does the symbolism ?
· What kind of conflict ?