The two main categories of parliamentary questions, distinguished by how the answer is given and whether follow-up questions are allowed.
- A starred question (marked with an asterisk) seeks an oral answer on the floor and permits supplementary questions.
- An unstarred question seeks a written answer laid on the table; no supplementary questions are allowed.
- A short-notice question relates to an urgent matter and is asked with less than ten days' notice, with the minister's consent.
- The number of starred questions admitted per day is capped so they fit the concept question hour; the rest may be answered as written replies.
- All categories are tools of legislative oversight of the executive.
The oral-versus-written and supplementary-allowed-versus-not distinctions are exactly the kind of fine factual contrasts CAPF Paper I asks.
Starred means oral answer plus supplementaries; unstarred means written answer with no supplementaries. The asterisk denotes oral, not written.
Starred: oral answer, supplementaries allowed; unstarred: written answer, no supplementaries; short-notice: urgent.