XVIII 
HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS AND THE DEVELOP 
MENT OF QUESTION TRADE TESTS 
Next to observation, the oldest method of forming im 
pressions is through oral questions. The first act of the 
interviewer is to look at the applicant and get an in 
stantaneous impression of his general appearance. After 
this the almost universal sequence is the question: “What’s 
your name?” This question is followed by the more or 
less stereotyped set of questions relating to address, age, 
previous history, and so on, which forms the body of the 
interview. A great part of the information which forms 
the basis on which an applicant is hired or rejected is the 
result of the questions which are asked him. 
The text around which this chapter is written is: The 
Value of the answers obtained is directly proportional to 
the value of the questions asked. At one time, school 
teachers were almost alone in recognizing the truth of this 
statement. Pedagogues have long been agreed that one 
of the most important factors in teaching is the art of 
asking questions in such a way as to bring to light the 
knowledge and the ability of the pupil. In the work of 
employment, the importance of questions cannot be over 
estimated, for a large part of the knowledge upon which 
the applicant is selected is obtained in this way. And yet, 
important as is the matter of asking questions, it, like most 
other phases of employment, has been left entirely to 
chance and to the unguided discretion of individual inter- 
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