One-word or short-phrase answers, those capable of being sung out in unison, constitute the preponderance of question-and-answer dialogues in many classrooms and necessitate little interrelating of material, sequencing of thoughts, or analyzing of data. While a solid base of factual information in learning is clearly important, fixating students' thinking at this level discourages the development of more complex intellectual skills. Questions can encourage the students to use informational knowledge to analyze concepts, synthesize complex relationships, and evaluate the new data. For instance, ask, "What would happen if we inserted a metal conductor in between the moving charge and the current?" or "Why must the information in Table One change when we consider these new data?"
Being conscious of the levels of questions one is asking and attempting to structure the questions toward analysis, synthesis, and evaluation can do much to combat fixation at the informational level of thinking.