Why are open-ended questions preferred during interviews?

• A. They limit information.
• B. They encourage more detailed and spontaneously produced information and reduce leading responses.
• C. They require yes/no answers.
• D. They ensure compliance.

Answer: (B)

Open-ended questions are preferred because they invite a narrative, spontaneous detail and help you gather more complete information. When you ask someone to “tell me what happened,” they must construct their own answer, describing sequence of events, relationships, locations, times, and personal perceptions. This tends to produce richer, more accurate data than a yes/no or yes/no-plus-one-answer format.

Because the respondent isn’t pushed toward a particular response, there’s less risk of leading them to a specific conclusion, which helps you assess credibility and uncover details you might not have anticipated. Open-ended questions also give you material to follow up with targeted probes based on what the person says, allowing you to fill gaps and verify consistency.

In contrast, questions that are closed or yes/no-oriented constrain the respondent, often limiting the information to a single word or a brief statement, and they can inadvertently guide or limit the witness’s account. Likewise, aiming to “ensure compliance” isn’t the goal of a good interview; the goal is to obtain accurate, comprehensive information.