In the context of the Control Question Test, what is the purpose of comparison questions?

• A. They are designed to induce an emotional reaction by covering common misdeeds that nearly all people have committed.
• B. They are used to detect the crime details only.
• C. They directly accuse the suspect.
• D. They measure physiological responses unrelated to deception.

Answer: (A)

Comparison questions in the Control Question Test are designed to provoke an emotional response by asking about common misdeeds that almost everyone has committed. This creates a physiological baseline of arousal that isn’t tied to the specific crime. The examiner then compares the subject’s responses to the crime-related questions with that baseline. In someone who is deceptive about the crime, the relevant questions typically elicit a larger reaction than the comparison questions; an innocent person tends to react more to the comparison questions. This contrast helps distinguish deception from truthfulness. The other choices miss the function: they don’t focus on inducing a general emotional reaction about ordinary misdeeds, they don’t aim to detect only crime details, they don’t directly accuse, and they’re not measuring responses unrelated to deception.