In many ways, a question is an invitation. You are being invited to demonstrate what you know about a topic (but not everything you know – part of the exercise is in being selective) and how skilful you are at using different social scientific tools. One way of getting used to understanding how questions work is to look at the range of different social science questions that can be asked about the same topic. Different command and content words can suggest very different essays.

Here, we provide examples of different questions on a specific topic, and then we give you the opportunity to try it for yourself. The example we chose is body piercing. As you read through the questions on body piercing, try to think about how each question suggests a different sort of answer. You might start by circling the content words and underlining the process words:

• Compare and contrast male and female body piercing in the UK today.
• How far can theories of class be used to explain body piercing?
• ‘Body piercing today is just a fashion that will soon die out.’ What is the evidence for this claim?
• Are there any connections between periods of economic prosperity and recession on the one hand, and the prevalence of body piercing on the other?
• ‘Body piercing is just another form of art.’ Discuss.
• Evaluate the arguments for a minimum age for body piercing. Include references to both social and health issues.
• Describe and evaluate two theories that account for the phenomenon of body piercing.
• How has body piercing developed in the US during the 20th and 21st centuries?
• How far can the prevalence, or otherwise, of body piercing be related to the fashion industry?
• How is ‘body piercing’ defined by professional piercers? How does this definition compare with popular representations of body piercing?
• To what extent can body piercing in the UK today be stratified by age?
• ‘Body piercing is a unique form of identity expression, in that it involves both public and private display.’ Discuss.
• ‘Body piercing is a risk to one’s health, as well as a risk to one’s self-image in later life.’ Discuss.
• Compare and contrast body piercing in two different societies.
• http://www.safepiercing.org/ is the website of the Association of Professional Piercers. Does the professionalization of body piercing change the meaning of piercing?

You get the drift. Combine your topic with almost any concept or idea out of your textbook, and you can find a different way to ask a question. That gives you a good idea of the infinite variety of ways in which people and their societies interact, and also the infinite variety of ways in which you can interrogate the evidence, and the theories that seek to explain that evidence.

Now try it for yourself. Think of a topic that interests you, whether in your course or in your daily life or work. Write it down. Now jot down a half-dozen different questions that you could form around the topic, based on your subject background.

If inspiration fails you, try one of these:

• The suburbs
• Laboratory mice
• Glastonbury
• Urban cycling
• Shopping
• Food porn
• The prevalence of men at high levels of political life
• Why people keep dangerous pets
• The cost of weddings
• Gardening
• The slow food movement
• Aging populations
• Surfing
• Composting toilets
• Click bait
• High school regulations on public displays of affection
• Olympic opening/closing ceremonies