Critical questions examine the cogency of an author's arguments, judging them according to internal logic or faithfulness to the evidence. Because students may lack confidence and, therefore, be reluctant to assess what they have read, you may want to suggest alternatives to an author's viewpoint or indicate passages where an author's conclusions are questionable or conditional. On the other hand, you may need to discourage overly hasty judgments by helping the students understand that it is their responsibility to grasp the dimensions of an argument before criticizing it. Comparative questions take various forms, but generally extend the course material by comparing it with related material, such as comparison of one author with another or one period or set of institutions with others. For example, if students are studying the British parliamentary government, an obvious comparison is the American legislative system.
Comparative questions are particularly useful for starting discussion sections.
Connective questions are more wide-ranging than comparative questions, relating the material at hand to other material that is pertinent but not necessarily of the same kind. Encourage students to share insights acquired outside of class through general reading, other courses, or their own experiences. The use of connective questions can be a very effective way to start a discussion. Asking a question effectively is just as important to a successful discussion as preparing an effective question. If, after a pause, no one speaks up, try to rephrase the question or approach the subject from a different perspective.