Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

At the end of my lectures I am often asked questions. I restrict my answers to clarifications on the topic of my lecture. Occasionally, I clarify on topics that were not part of the lecture, but have some indirect connection. For all other questions, I give clever answers, a joke maybe, or simply agreeing with an argument disguised as a question. I see the discomfort that follows. I can see myself being judged as an evader. What many do not realise is that questions that follow lectures are often designed to evoke a combat. And, the combative questioner feels cheated, or tricked, when I do not participate in the game they have created, often unconsciously.