QUESTION FORMATION – CLOSE ENDED

AND OPEN ENDED

Close-ended questions
■ Close-ended questions can be answered in only one word or with
a short, specific piece of information, selective answer
■ Narrow, provide limited insight, easily analysed to provide
quantitative data
■ can only be answered by selecting from a limited number of
options, usually multiple-choice, ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or a rating scale (e.g.,
from strongly agree to strongly disagree).

Eg: “How likely are you to recommend this product/service on a scale from 0 to 10?”
.
Close-ended questions are used

■ In quantitative  usability studies.

■ In surveys where you expect too many respondents.

■ When collecting data that must be measured carefully over time,
for example with repeated (identical) research efforts

■ When the set of possible answers is strictly limited for some

reason
Advantages:
1- Provides easily quantifiable data.
2- Categorizing respondents into groups becomes easier.
Disadvantages:
1- Scarcity of choices
2- Limited/erroneous/inaccurate information
Yes/no questions

■ In a question, the auxiliary verb comes before the subject. If there are two
auxiliary verbs, only the first comes before the subject.
■ Examples:
 He is working in the factory. (Statement)
Is he working in the factory? (Question)
 That was an easy question. (Statement)
Was that an easy question? (Question)
 She has been invited. (Statement)
Has she been invited?
When no auxiliary in the statement

■ Affirmative sentences in the simple present and simple past tense do not have an
auxiliary verb. We use do, does or did to change them into questions.
■ Examples:
 She studies everyday. (Statement)
Does she study every day? (Question)
 You like apples. (Statement)
Do you like apples? (Question)
 She had a pen. (Statement)
Did she have a pen? (Question)
Wh- questions

■ We usually form wh- questions with wh-  + an auxiliary verb (be, do  or have ) +

wh-  + a modal verb + subject + main verb:
subject + main verb or with 
■ Examples:

Be: When are you leaving?

Do: Where do they live?
Have: What has she done now?
Modal: Who would she stay with?
■ When what, who, which  or whose  is the subject or part of the subject, we use
the word order subject + verb:

■ Examples:
What fell off the wall? Which horse won?
Who bought this? Whose phone rang?
Close-ended questions-types

1- Dichotomous
Do you believe the movie will make an impact on the youth?
[1] Yes [2] No
2-Multiple Choice
In preparing copy for the printer, which method of attaching printed pages to a
backing sheet is preferred?
[1] Stapling[2] Taping [3] Gluing [4] Other: _____________________
Please specify
3- Rating
How often do you visit the art museum?
[1] Very Frequently (almost daily)
[2] Frequently (Twice a week)
[3] Occasionally (Once a week)
[4] Seldom (Twice a month)
[5] Rarely (Once every six months)
[6] Never
Checklist
Which of the following would you like to see in a cafeteria?
(Check all that apply)
[1] Cold Sandwiches
[2] Hot Sandwiches
[3] Soup
[4] Salad Bar
[5] Fruit Bar
[6] Full Course Meals
 Fill in the Blank
 
How many bank accounts do you have? _____________
Open-ended questions

■ can be answered in depth and allow for original, unique responses,

without being limited by multiple choice or a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option.
■ Qualitative data evolved out of various responses
■ Answers could come in the form of a list, a few sentences, a
paragraph, essay or long speech

Eg: What are your major concerns about the product?

Open-ended questions

■ They ask the respondent to think  and reflect.

■ They will give you opinions  and feelings .

■ They hand control of the conversation to the respondent .

■ Disadvantages: time-consuming; responses are difficult to code
and interpret
(Source: https://explorable.com/types-of-survey-questions)
Open-ended questions are useful in
several different ways:
1) Expert Interviews: Since questions that are open-ended ask for
the critical thinking and uncut opinion of the respondent, they are
perfect for gaining information from specialists
2) Open-ended questions allow respondents to include more
information, including feelings, attitudes and understanding of the
subject. This allows researchers to better access the
respondents' true feelings on an issue.
Open-ended questions are used:

■ While conducting design research, such as on

Which problems to solve
What kind of solution to provide
Who to design for
■ For exploratory studies
■ What are your plans for the next five years?

■ What opportunities do you see on your horizon?

■ What challenges do you see in making this happen?

CLOSED QUESTIONS:
■ Answered by “yes” or “no” or
simple facts.
■ Stop the conversation.
■ Require many questions to
get the full story.
OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS:
■ Begin withhow, what, or why.
■ Allow people to tell their
story and to share feelings.
■ Clarify information.
■ Keep the conversation open
Close-ended to Open-ended
Questions
■ Would you recommend our
product/service?
■ Did you experience good
customer service?
■ Are you happy with your
experience with us?
■ Would you consider using our
product/service again?
■ What were the main reasons for
your choice of our product/service?
■ How did you feel about our
customer service?
■ How would you describe your
experience with us?
■ What would make you use our
product/service again?
Examples of closed-ended and open-
ended questions:
Closed-ended questions
■ What is a redox reaction?
■ What is the circumference
of the earth?
■ What is the output of this
computer program?
■ Are you taking this course to
fill a requirement?
■ What’s the next step in this
problem?
Open-ended questions
■ What chemical reactions do
you observe everyday?
■ How do you think scientists
figured out the
circumference of the earth?
■ In what situations would you
use this computer program?
■ Why are you interested in
this course?
■ How would you go about
approaching this problem?
Convert close-ended to open-ended

■ Are you satisfied?

- How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with this process?

■ Did you do the research ?

- How did you do the research?
■ Do you normally … ?
- How do you normally ... ?

■ Have you done this before?

-What kinds of questions or difficulties have you had when doing this in the
past?
-What happened when you did this before?
Before a task:
-What do you expect to see when you … ?
After a task:
- What were you expecting?

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/open-ended-questions/
Examples of how to begin an open-
ended question:
■ What would happen if…
■ What do you think about…
■ In what way…
■ What would you do…
■ How can we…
■ How did you…
■ How do you feel about…
■ Why?
■ What do you mean?
■ What if…
■ What do you think about…
■ Can you elaborate on…
Exercise – Change Closed-Ended
Questions into Open-Ended Questions
1. Do you live with anyone?

2. Do you have any side effects from medications?

3. Did the doctor tell you about TB?

Q4. Write one close ended(CE) and one open
ended(OE) question based on the following
statements.(2 marks)
■ a) He is working in the field.
■ CE:___________________________________________________________________
■ OE: _____________________________________________________________________
■ b) I have some plans for the next five years.
■ CE: ____________________________________________________________________
■ OE:
__________________________________________________________________________
Answer Key

■ A) Was/Is he working in the field? (Close ended)

■ How/Why is he working in the field/ What made him work in the field? (Open ended)

■ B) Do I have any plans for the next five years? (CE)

Do you have any plans for the next five years? (CE)
■ I have some plans for the next five years, haven’t I? (CE)
■ What are my/ your plans for the next five years? (OE)
What defines your/my plans for the next five years? (OE)
■ How can I/ you make a plan for the next five years? (OE)
■ Why would I/ you prefer to make a plan for the next five years? (OE)