Let's experiment: I asked a colleague about her drinking habits: I wanted to get quick answers:
| Question | Answer |
| How much sugar to you take in your drinks? | It depends on what I'm drinking. |
| How much do you take in your tea? | None |
| How much do you take in coffee? | It depends if I'm using a cup or a mug. |
| In a cup, how much sugar do you take in coffee? | One spoonful |
Painful, eh!
You see, asking closed questions here would get you a YES/NO answer. Posed correctly, we can make the range of possibilities limited to yes or no.
Open questions give the other person the green like to be expansive. Ask them when you want information, however you must be aware that some will want to give you lots of information!