Content Questions
Every page ends with a ## Questions section. One primary question. Up to four supporting questions. No generic prompts.
The Pattern
| Element | Rule | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Primary question | One open loop the reader leaves with | Reader stops and thinks for 5+ seconds |
| Sub-questions | Up to 4, decompose or deepen the primary | Each pulls deeper, not wider |
| Specificity | Questions must be specific to that page's content | Could not be copy-pasted to another page |
| Voice | Socratic — invite discovery, don't summarize | "What might you be wrong about?" not "What did you learn?" |
| Position | Last section on the page, after Context | Consistent placement, every page |
Why Questions
Three mechanisms, one effect.
| Mechanism | How It Works | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zeigarnik Effect | Open loops compel the mind to close them — the reader keeps processing after leaving | Behavioural Biases |
| Socratic Method | Questions reveal what the reader thought they knew but didn't — transformation, not information | Questions |
| Reception | We are receivers, not creators — questions are tuning forks that prepare the mind to receive | Evolution |
The reader leaves with an unresolved thread, not a summary. The page keeps working after the tab closes.
Anti-Patterns
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "What did you think of this page?" | "Which of your current metrics is measuring the wrong thing?" | Generic vs specific |
| "Can you apply these ideas?" | "What would break if you removed your strongest control system?" | Summary vs open loop |
| "What did you learn?" | "What are you avoiding because the answer would require you to change?" | Backward-looking vs forward-pulling |
| 5+ sub-questions | 1-4 sub-questions | Wider dilutes deeper |
Template
## Questions
Primary question — the open loop.
- Sub-question that decomposes or deepens
- Sub-question that challenges an assumption
- Sub-question that connects to adjacent territory
Context
- Questions — The capability this standard operationalizes
- Zeigarnik Effect — The psychology that makes open loops work
- Content Standards — Where this standard lives in the hierarchy
- Naming Standards — Sibling content standard