The Question

One Answer, and No Room to Argue

A question with two defensible answers is broken, however interesting it is. How ambiguity creeps in through tense, scope and unstated assumption, and the discipline of closing every door but one.

Write the Answer First

Setters start from the fact and construct backwards. Why that order prevents the most common failure, and what it does to the shape of the finished question.

The Second Answer Is Usually True

When a team argues, they are usually right that their answer also fits. What that reveals about the question rather than about the team.

Rejected for Being Interesting

The best fact is often the worst question. Why setters throw away material they love, and what makes a fact unusable.

Questions That Have to Survive a Lawyer

On broadcast quizzes every question is checked for defensibility. What that process removes, and what it improves.