Gretchenfrage

A Gretchen question or Gretchenfrage (from German: Gretchenfrage, pronounced [ˈɡʁeːtçənˌfʁaːɡə] ⓘ, with Gretchen, diminutive for Margarete, and Frage, question in English) is a crucial, difficult, "unpleasant, sometimes embarrassing, and at the same time essential question for a certain decision, which is asked in a difficult situation." It is studied in literature and the philosophy of religion. In philosophy and linguistics, it is a type of question, alongside rhetorical, loaded, leading and misleading questions, and other question types.

It is a type of crucial question that goes to the heart of the matter and requires the interlocutor to provide a direct answer, often revealing intimate or compromising beliefs of the person asked.

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