Socratic Questioning

(adapted from Richard Paul, Critical Thinking:

How to prepare students for a rapidly changing world,

Sonoma State University: California. p.341-342. 1993)

Questions of Clarification

· What do you mean by ………….?

· What is your main point ……… ?

· How does ……..relate to ……….?

· Could you put that another way?

· What do you think is the main issue here?

· Let me see if I understand you; do you mean ………. or ………..?

· How does this relate to our discussion/problem/issue?

· What do you think Faizal meant by his remark?

· Mei Ling, would you summarise in your own words what Praveen has said?

……. Praveen, is that what you meant?

· Could you give me an example?

· Would this be an example: …..?

· Could you explain that further?

· Would you say more about that?

· Why do you say that?

Questions that Probe Assumptions

· What are you assuming?

· What is Sheela assuming?

· What could we assume instead?

· You seem to be assuming ……. . Do I understand you correctly?

· All of your reasoning depends on the idea that ……. . Why have

You based your reasoning on …….. rather than …….. ?

· You seem to be assuming …… . How would you justify taking

this for granted?

· Is it always the case? Why do you think the assumption holds here?

· Why would someone make this assumption?

Questions that Probe Reasons and Evidence

· Why do you think that is true?

· Do you have any evidence for that?

· What difference does that make?

· What are your reasons for saying that?

· What other information do you need?

· Could you explain your reasons to us?

· But is that good evidence to believe that?

· Is there reason to doubt that evidence?

· Who is in a position to know if that is so?

· What would you say to someone who said ………..?

· Can someone else give evidence to support that response?

· By what reasoning did you come to that conclusion?

· How could we find out whether that is true?

Questions about Viewpoints or Perspectives

· You seem to be approaching this issue from ………. perspective.

Why have you chosen this rather than that perspective?

· How would other groups/types of people respond? Why?

What would influence them?

· How could you answer the objection that ……. would make?

· What might someone who believed ……. think?

· Can/did anyone see this another way?

· What would someone who disagrees say?

· What is an alternative?

· How are Kong Beng and Rosli’s idea alike? Different?

Questions that Probe Implications and Consequences

· What are you implying by that?

· When you say ……. are you implying ………?

· But if that happened, what else would happen as a result? Why?

· What effect would that have?

· Would that necessarily happen or only probably happen?

· If this and this are the case, then what else must be true?

· If we say that this is unethical, how about that?

Questions about the Question

· How can we find out?

· What does this assume?

· Would …… put the question differently?

· Why is this question important?

· How could someone settle this question?

· Can we break this question down at all?

· Is the question clear? Do we understand it?

· Is this question easy or hard to answer? Why?

· Does this question as us to evaluate something?

· Do we all agree that this is the question?

· To answer this question, what questions would we have to answer first?

· I’m not sure I understand how you are interpreting the main question at issue.

· Is this the same issue as …………?

· How would ………. put the issue?