The person you are addressing is made to understand they are DOING something stupid, an actual answer is not necessary or even wanted. I THINK that my type of question is different, but I am not sure. My question is intended to make the person ask themselves. If the answer is "last week", it isn't necessary to tell me "next week"., What is a question your not supposed to answer called? A rhetorical question is a question that is not meant to be answered, as the answer is usually implied or obvious., By the way, a rhetorical question is a question that is asked for the effect it produces. One common use is in speeches, or rhetoric, where the name comes from. A rhetorical question may or may not have an answer, and may or may not be intended to be answered., The link goes into why these questions might be used (adding detail to the original question), but doesn't contain the phrase "guiding question" (or the word "guide/guiding"). Googling the phrase "guiding question" reveals a different use in educational contexts., A self-answering question is known as a rhetorical question. These types of questions are not meant to be answered, as the answer is already implied by the question itself., That aside, the question is called 'rhetorical', not meant to be answered by the listener. It's not even necessary that the speaker answer it directly, as the coach does in the question..