Which of the following is an example of a leading question?

• A. Where were you on the night of the incident?
• B. Did you see the defendant present?
• C. What did you observe at the scene?
• D. You went back to the police station after speaking with the victim, didn't you?

Answer: (D)

Leading questions push a witness toward a specific answer by embedding a presupposition or suggestion within the question itself. They often present a fact as if it already happened and then seek confirmation, which can pressure the witness to agree with the asserted detail.

This example does that clearly: “You went back to the police station after speaking with the victim, didn’t you?” presents a sequence of events as a given and then ends with a tag that asks for confirmation. The witness is nudged to say yes, reinforcing the stated fact rather than allowing an independent recounting.

By contrast, the other questions invite open, descriptive answers. Asking where someone was or what was observed at the scene lets the witness describe in their own words. Even a yes/no question like whether the defendant was present is straightforward about a fact, but it doesn’t carry the same presupposition and directive tone as the tagged question.