ABOUT QUESTIONS
• Listen To the Question Carefully One rule about questions: Answer as completely yet simply as possible. If you don’t understand a question, ask for clarification; this is especially important if the question seems vague, value-laden (“Don’t you feel that laboratory accreditation is important?”), or complicated.
• Don’t Volunteer Information Confine your answers to what you are asked. Any information you volunteer may be inadmissible, irrelevant to the case, or may even open up a line of questioning that leads to confusion and trouble.
• You Cannot Be Asked Leading Questions on Direct Examinations You cannot be asked leading questions, that is, questions that suggest an answer, on direct examination. For example, “Didn’t you find marijuana in the sample sub mitted to you?” is leading question; the question should be worded as, “What did find in the sample submitted to you?” Take your time and answer the question completely. If you are asked, “Did anything else happen at that time?” or “Did you find anything else?” you may have omitted something you previously mentioned to the attorney.
• Beware of Compound Questions If you are asked several questions rolled into one, it will be difficult to answer them all accurately unless you do so one at a time. You could say, “I will answer your questions one by one,” or you could ask, “Can you ask me those questions one at a time?
