The recommended approach to elicit information is to ask a series of what type of questions followed by what?

The recommended approach to elicit information is to ask a series of what type of questions followed by what?

• A. Yes/No questions followed by speculation
• B. Open-ended questions followed by specific questions
• C. Leading questions followed by prompts
• D. Rhetorical questions followed by silence

Answer: (B)

Elicitation works best when you start broad and then narrow down. Opening with open-ended questions invites the speaker to describe the situation in their own words, giving you richer context, relationships, and the sequence of events without steering them. After that narrative is on the record, follow with specific questions to verify details, fill gaps, and pin down critical facts like times, places, and who was involved. That combination—broad open-ended questions then targeted specifics—is the most effective way to elicit accurate information. Other approaches tend to constrain responses or bias results: yes/no questions limit depth, speculation isn’t rooted in facts, leading questions push toward a particular answer, and rhetorical questions or silence don’t actively gather useful information. For example, start with “Tell me what happened,” then drill down with “What time did this occur?” and “Where were you located at that moment?”

Elicitation works best when you start broad and then narrow down. Opening with open-ended questions invites the speaker to describe the situation in their own words, giving you richer context, relationships, and the sequence of events without steering them. After that narrative is on the record, follow with specific questions to verify details, fill gaps, and pin down critical facts like times, places, and who was involved. That combination—broad open-ended questions then targeted specifics—is the most effective way to elicit accurate information. Other approaches tend to constrain responses or bias results: yes/no questions limit depth, speculation isn’t rooted in facts, leading questions push toward a particular answer, and rhetorical questions or silence don’t actively gather useful information. For example, start with “Tell me what happened,” then drill down with “What time did this occur?” and “Where were you located at that moment?”