Which of the following best describes leading questions?

• A. Questions that require long answers
• B. Questions that suggest an answer
• C. Questions that reveal biases
• D. Questions about motives

Answer: (B)

Leading questions are questions that suggest the answer you want the witness to give. They push toward a particular response by framing the question in a way that invites agreement or confirmation. For example, asking “You saw the defendant at the scene, didn’t you?” nudges the witness to say yes, rather than letting them describe what they observed in their own words.

In contrast, neutral, open-ended questions encourage the witness to explain events on their own terms, such as “What did you see next?” or “Where were you when you saw it?” Those don’t guide the answer.

So the defining feature is the suggestion of the expected answer, not the length of the response or the presence of biases or motives.