Assumptive questions should be asked only when the investigator is relatively certain of the subject's guilt.

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

Answer: (A)

Assumptive questions presuppose guilt by framing a fact as something the subject is being asked to confirm, such as “You were at the scene, right?” They’re most effective when the investigator already has a strong, reasonable basis to believe the person is guilty. In that situation, these questions can nudge the subject toward a direct admission and help move the interview forward without drifting into unfounded accusations. If there isn’t enough certainty about guilt, using such questions can feel coercive or biased, potentially bias the responses, and risk obtaining unreliable or inadmissible statements. So using assumptive questions only when you’re relatively certain of guilt aligns with ethical interviewing and helps protect the integrity of the evidence. If certainty isn’t present, relying on neutral, open-ended questions is the safer approach.