Which description best fits interest-arousing questions?

• A. Designed to focus the audience's attention and prompt thinking about the material.
• B. Used to elicit a precise numerical response from the audience.
• C. Used to focus the people's attention and have audience think about the material to be presented; the speaker is not interested in specific answers.
• D. Used to test the audience's memory.

Answer: (C)

Interest-arousing questions are used to grab attention and stimulate thinking about the topic rather than to collect a definite answer. The best description emphasizes that the audience should focus on the material and think about it, and it notes that the speaker isn’t after a specific answer. This captures the purpose of such questions: to spark curiosity, engage people, and prime them for what’s to come. In risk communication, opening with an open-ended, thought-provoking question helps listeners connect with the issue and prepare their minds for the message, rather than trying to elicit a precise numeric response or test recall.