A bait question should be used before a subject has made an appropriate commitment of denial.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Sometimes
• D. Never

Answer: (A)

Bait questions are a tool that relies on the subject already signaling some stance of denial or defensiveness, so that the question can create a moment of contradiction between what they deny and what the facts suggest. Using such a question before the person has committed to denial is less effective and can backfire by shutting down rapport or hardening the denial. In practice, you’d deploy a bait question after you’ve seen the subject resist admission or claim innocence, so you can observe how they respond to the pressure and how it aligns with the evidence. So the statement is not correct.