Interview Questions

What to ask.

by Ms. Carey

​Closed questions...

• ​Can be answered with either a single word or a short phrase

• ​Examples: "Are you happy?" "How old are you?" "What time is it?"

• ​Closed questions have the following characteristics:

  • ​The give you facts

  • ​They are easy to answer

  • ​They are quick to answer

  • ​They keep control of the conversation with the journalist

Open questions...

• likely to receive a long answer as they deliberately seek longer answers

• ​Examples: "What did you do over the weekend?" "Why is that so important to you?" "Why do you enjoy science so much?

• ​Open questions have the following characteristics:

  • ​They ask the person to think and reflect

  • ​They will give you opinions and feelings

  • ​They hand control of the conversation to the interviewee

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a closed question?

• How happy are you with your English teacher?

• What did you expect to happen when you came to school today?

• What could the substitute have done better?

• Did you do your homework last night?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an open-ended question?

• What is the name of your school?

• Is it an odd day or an even day?

• What are some of the benefits of going to TCMS?

• Who is your favorite teacher?

Multiple Choice

What are the benefits of asking open-ended questions?

• There are no benefits

• open-ended questions allow you to find out more information

• open-ended questions stop the conversation.

• What is an open-ended question?

Multiple Choice

Which would be an example of an open-ended question?

• Describe your responsibilities as the secretary of the SCA.

• How many hours a night do you spend on homework?

• Do you normally bring your lunch from home or buy the school lunch?

• Were you disappointed when TCMS lost  to Midlo?

Multiple Choice

Please identify if the following question is open-ended or closed-ended:

Based on your experience here at TCMS, what do you most hope to gain from your 8th grade year?

• Open

• Closed

Multiple Choice

Please identify if the following question is open-ended or closed-ended:

Do you feel the professional sports should have taken action regarding their stance on domestic violence sooner?

• Open

• Closed

Multiple Choice

Please identify if the following question is open-ended or closed-ended:

If the school day was extended in order to start school in September, would you be willing to stay a little longer everyday?

• Open

• Closed

Multiple Choice

How tall is the Empire State building?

• open

• closed

Multiple Choice

How does air pollution impact our Earth?

• open

• closed

Multiple Choice

What is the average rainfall in Virginia Beach in the month of June?

• open

• closed

Multiple Choice

Why did George Washington want to be president?"

• open

• closed

Multiple Choice

When do you eat breakfast?

• Open Ended Question

• Close Ended Question

Multiple Choice

How can you make open-ended questioning even more powerful?

• turn it into a competition
• provide wait time
• always call on the same students
• give candy

Open Ended

Rewrite the following CLOSED question to be OPEN.

"Were you disappointed when TCMS lost to Midlo?"

Open Ended

Rewrite the following CLOSED question to be O.

"Do you have any pets at home?"

Open Ended

Rewrite the following CLOSED question to be OPEN.

"How many hours a night do you spend on homework?"

Open Ended

Rewrite the following OPEN question to be CLOSED.

"How would you change the dress code at TCMS?"

Open Ended

Rewrite the following OPEN question to be CLOSED.

"What do you gain by participating in school activities?"