The key inquiry question is the question that your research is aiming to answer. 

Key inquiry questions use a variety of terms and it is essential you understand what each of these mean if you are to answer properly. 

Common terms and what they mean: 

Some question beginnings

Developing a Big Question for your research

Small Questions

• Have only one answer

• May have a yes or no answer

• The answers are easily found.

• Are closed questions (they can be answered with YES or NO or with ONE WORD).

Big Questions

• Are “open-ended” questions and cannot be answered with a yes or a no or a small phrase.

• Require multiple resources to be answered.

• Need to be interesting to you.

• May begin with “How”, “Why”,  “Explain”, “To what extent”, “Account for”.

• Not obvious or easily answered

• Lead to multiple perspectives

• Keep you thinking/thought provoking

• Could lead to controversy/debate

Sample questions that use historical concepts

GENERIC

• Discuss the varying causes of an event and assess the significance if its impact.

• Assess the significance of a personality.

• Assess the significance of an event from one or more perspectives.

• Compare different interpretations of the significance of an event or personality.

SPECIFIC

• Analyse the major social and political continuities and changes that occurred during the Sumerian civilization in the Tigris-Euphrates (5000 BCE - 1750 BCE) 

• Evaluate the significance of Sumer to the birth of civilisation.

• What were the causes of the Battle of Marathon?

• How do both ancient and modern historians view the significance of Cleopatra's relationship with Julius Caesar?

• Discuss different interpretations of Boudicca.

• Describe the Battle of Kadesh from both the perspectives of the Egyptians and the Hittites.

• Analyse the contribution of Sappho to the development of poetry and account for differing interpretations on her sexuality.