Question words

There are six words that are used to start a question:

• Who
• What
• Where
• When
• Why
• How

You can use these six words to generate multiple questions about a topic. Asking and then answering these questions will help you to learn more about the topic.

For instance, imagine the topic is “the light bulb”.

“Who” questions could include:

• Who invented the light bulb?
• Who uses a light bulb?

“What” questions could include:

• What is a light bulb?
• What is a light bulb used for?
• What is a light bulb made of?

“Where” questions could include:

• Where are light bulbs used?
• Where are light bulbs made?
• Where were light bulbs invented?

“When” questions could include:

• When were light bulbs invented?
• When are light bulbs used?

“Why” questions could include:

• Why are light bulbs used?
• Why were light bulbs invented?

“How” questions could include:

• How does a light bulb work?
• How were light bulbs invented?

Some of these questions may seem ridiculous in this context because you know who uses light bulbs, for instance. But the same question would be very relevant if you had a different topic, like a mass spectrometer.

Often you may only have a few questions about a topic that you know well. However, answering those few questions can often lead to more questions.

For instance, the answer to the question “How are light bulbs made?” might include the fact that light bulbs are filled with argon. This can lead to questions such as:

• Why is argon needed in light bulbs?
• Why is argon a good choice to use in a light bulb?
• What is argon?
• How is argon produced?

When you come across a new topic, practice thinking up as many questions about the topic as you can.