Softball question?
<p><span word="Reader">Reader</span> <span word="question">question</span>:</p><p><span word="Please">Please</span> <span word="explain">explain</span> “<span word="softball">softball</span> <span word="question">question</span>” <span word="in">in</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="passage">passage</span>:</p><p><span word="I">I</span>’<span word="ve">ve</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="least">least</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dozen">dozen</span> <span word="candidates">candidates</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="their">their</span> ‘<span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="weakness">weakness</span>’ <span word="is">is</span> <span word="working">working</span> <span word="too">too</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="perfectionist">perfectionist</span>. <span word="He">He</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="she">she</span> <span word="will">will</span> <span word="often">often</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="without">without</span> <span word="being">being</span> <span word="prompted">prompted</span> (<span word="I">I</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="never">never</span> <span word="ask">ask</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="candidate">candidate</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="weakness">weakness</span> <span word="because">because</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="softball">softball</span> <span word="question">question</span>), <span word="which">which</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="dead">dead</span> <span word="giveaway">giveaway</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="rehearsed">rehearsed</span>.</p><p><span word="My">My</span> <span word="comments">comments</span>:</p><p><span word="A">A</span> <span word="softball">softball</span> <span word="question">question</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="that">that</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="deal">deal</span> <span word="with">with</span>.</p><p><span word="Softball">Softball</span>, <span word="you">you</span> <span word="see">see</span>, <span word="is">is</span> <span word="women">women</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="children">children</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="version">version</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="game">game</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="baseball">baseball</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="softball">softball</span> <span word="playing">playing</span> <span word="field">field</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="smaller">smaller</span>, <span word="taking">taking</span> <span word="consideration">consideration</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="women">women</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="lacking">lacking</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="physical">physical</span> <span word="strength">strength</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="ball">ball</span> <span word="itself">itself</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="bigger">bigger</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="softer">softer</span>, <span word="hence">hence</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="name">name</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="regular">regular</span> <span word="baseball">baseball</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="hard">hard</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="heavy">heavy</span>. <span word="As">As</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="matter">matter</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="fact">fact</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="regular">regular</span> <span word="baseball">baseball</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="sometimes">sometimes</span> <span word="called">called</span> <span word="hardball">hardball</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="distinguish">distinguish</span> <span word="itself">itself</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="softball">softball</span>. <span word="When">When</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hardball">hardball</span> <span word="hits">hits</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="head">head</span> – <span word="or">or</span> <span word="torso">torso</span>, <span word="arm">arm</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="leg">leg</span>, <span word="for">for</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="matter">matter</span> – <span word="it">it</span> <span word="hurts">hurts</span>.</p><p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="hurts">hurts</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="lot">lot</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="pain">pain</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="intense">intense</span>.</p><p><span word="Needless">Needless</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="say">say</span>, <span word="when">when</span> <span word="you">you</span>’<span word="re">re</span> <span word="inadvertently">inadvertently</span> <span word="hit">hit</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="softball">softball</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="hurts">hurts</span> <span word="much">much</span> <span word="less">less</span>.</p><p><span word="Hence">Hence</span>, <span word="by">by</span> <span word="analogy">analogy</span>, <span word="if">if</span> <span word="it">it</span>’<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="softball">softball</span> <span word="question">question</span>, <span word="then">then</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="easy">easy</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="answer">answer</span>. <span word="In">In</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="example">example</span>, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="interviewee">interviewee</span> <span word="gives">gives</span> <span word="clich">clich</span>é<span word="d">d</span> <span word="answers">answers</span>, <span word="such">such</span> <span word="as">as</span> “<span word="My">My</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="weakness">weakness</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="too">too</span> <span word="hard">hard</span>” <span word="or">or</span> “<span word="My">My</span> <span word="biggest">biggest</span> <span word="weakness">weakness</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="am">am</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="perfectionist">perfectionist</span>.” <span word="After">After</span> <span word="hearing">hearing</span> <span word="different">different</span> <span word="people">people</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="same">same</span> <span word="thing">thing</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="umpteenth">umpteenth</span> <span word="time">time</span>, <span word="it">it</span> <span word="ceases">ceases</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="interesting">interesting</span>.</p>
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