To be clear, a question must be free from obscure wording.  One primary teacher, seeking to show how each animal is adapted to the life it must live, asked the class, “Why has a cat fur and a duck feathers?” Just what did she mean for the child to answer?  Did she mean to inquire why a cat has fur instead of feathers, and a duck feathers instead of fur, or did she mean to ask why each has its own particular coating regardless of the other?  Another teacher asked, “Why did Jesus’s parents go up to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old?” Did he mean to ask why they went when Jesus was just at this age, or did he mean to ask why they went at all, the age of Jesus being incidental?  One can only guess at his meaning, hence the answer could at best be but a guess.

Questions to be within the learner’s grasp.—­If questions are to be clear to the child they must deal with matter within his grasp.  These questions are taken from an intermediate quarterly:  “Why was the New Testament written?  What was the purpose of the book of Revelation?  Fit the epistle of Paul into the story of his life.  What is meant by inspiration?  What are the reasons for calling the Bible the most wonderful book in the world?” These questions are all clear enough so far as their wording is concerned, but they belong to the college or theological seminary age instead of to the intermediate age.  While our questions should make our pupils think, they must not go over their heads, for one does not commonly think on a question whose very meaning is beyond his grasp!

Some questions lack definiteness because several correct answers could be given to the question.  Here are a few such:  What did Paul claim concerning one of his epistles?  What did Moses do when he came down from the mountain?  What were the priests of the temple required to have?  What happened when Jesus was crucified?  What of John the Baptist?  What about Ruth and Naomi?  What did Judas become?  No one of these questions asks any definite thing.  To answer any of them the pupil must guess at the particular thing the teacher has in mind.  Many answers may be given to each question which are as correct and which answer the question as well as the answer the teacher seeks from the pupil.  Such questioning comes either from lack of clearness and definiteness in the teacher’s thinking, with a consequent uncertainty as what he really does mean to ask, or else from a mental laziness which shrinks from the effort necessary to formulate the question definitely.

Questions should stimulate thought.—­Questions should be thought-provoking.  Usually it is a mistake to ask questions that can be answered, by a simple Yes or No, though there are occasions when this may be done.  For example, children will not be required to think when asked such questions as, Was Moses leader of the Israelites? or Did Jesus want his disciples to keep children away from him?  But they will require thought to answer Yes or No to such questions as, Should Esther have asked that Haman be hanged? or, Can God forgive us for a wrong act if we are not penitent?