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A student wants to know how much time classmates spend on a phone.
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A student wants to know how much time classmates spend on a phone.
- Which question is fair? Say why.
- Question A: "Do you agree that phones waste far too much of a student's time?"
- Question B: "About how many minutes did you spend on a phone yesterday?"
- Rewrite this question so that it is fair: "Do you not think that the school library should stay open longer?"
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
A fair question is neutral. It asks for a fact, and does not tell people what to answer.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. Question A. It says that phones "waste far too much" time, so it pushes people to agree. Its answers are only yes or no.
Step 2. Question B. It is neutral. It asks for a fact, a number of minutes, that we can count and compare.
Step 3. The library question. "Do you not think" pushes people to say yes. A fair version is: "Until what time would you like the school library to stay open?"
Answer: Question B is fair. A fair library question asks for a time, not for agreement.
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