Alongside the basic "5 W's" ("who," "what," "when," "where," and "why") can be used more formal, directed questions provided by the classical rhetorical "topics." These questions function in four different ways, and can be categorized as follows:
| Definition: | These questions help you to define your topic. |
| Comparison: | These questions ask you to compare and contrast your topic with other related topics. |
| Relationship: | These questions lead you to examine the causes and/or the effects of your topic. |
| Testimony: These questions ask you to determine what has already been said or written about your topic. |
Example of Questioning
If my general topic is "Development of Small Towns in the Rocky Mountain Region,"
I might try to narrow my focus by applying questions with specific functions to this topic
area, thereby discovering which approach interests me most. Here are some of the
questions I might ask:
| Questions of Definition: | What is the situation in the Rocky Mountain region in terms of development? How can this situation be characterized, described, classified, or analyzed? |
| Questions of Comparison: | How does development in this region compare with development in other regions? In what ways is it similar? In what ways is it different? |
| Questions of Relationships: | What caused this problem of development? What changes occurred which contributed to the problem? What causes people to want to develop this region? What are the effects or the consequences of the development? Who is most directly affected by development of small towns? |
| Testimony: | What do the "natives" or "townies" who have lived all their lives in these towns think about the development? What do contractors think? What have some towns done to control development? What research has already been done on this topic? What is the general opinion(s) in the Rocky Mountain region concerning development, and why? |