Armor-Piercing Question

The injury is imaginary,
but the pain is very real.

Galloway: So let me ask, if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on our planet, will you leave peacefully?
Optimus Prime: Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it. But before your president decides, please ask him this: What if we leave, and you're wrong?
Lennox: (to Galloway) That's a good question.

— Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

Ever since Socrates, the power of the question to provoke insight has been well acknowledged. Sometimes a single question, well phrased and well timed, can collapse a person's mental defenses and throw their entire worldview into doubt.

Whether it's a Mentor Archetype trying to force their student to learn a vital lesson, or a villain trying to reduce a hero to a wreck, or a hero trying to show a villain how wrong they've been all this time, or somebody desperately trying to force the kid on the sidelines to realize they are meant to do something... more, a good Armor-Piercing Question either cuts directly to the heart of a person's worldview, obsession, or psyche, or else forces the listener to confront unpleasant truths that they either didn't want to face or didn't even consider.

This sometimes translates into people using a continued line of questioning to upset or enlighten other characters. Among the most powerful forms of this is finding a single question and formulating it so the answer forces your target to face something difficult to admit, and keep pounding it. In this variant, the key is to find a question with an answer that cuts close to the bone and not let up.

The Constantly Curious often comes up with an Armor-Piercing Question in total innocence, being, like many children, Too Dumb to Fool.

This is a real technique used in psychotherapy, education, religious groups, and debates; the Socratic method taken to its extreme, it's occasionally known as the "Synanon Game." Note that it's usually not as effective as it is in fiction, especially when pointing out doublethink; one common reaction is to verbally attack the person causing the cognitive dissonance. Or the person may simply leave the discussion, or rationalize away the point, etc.

It is similarly an effective tool in helping someone who may be suicidal. Rather than dancing around the issue, or trying to cheer them up, if you suspect someone may be in danger of killing themself directly ask them if they are considering suicide and ensure you use the word "suicide" — often people who are suicidal are too afraid or ashamed to tell anyone, and having you broach the subject will actually be a huge relief to them and establish yourself as someone they can open up to.

Subtrope of The Power of Language and Stopped Dead in Their Tracks as a reaction to such question. Compare Break Them by Talking, Hannibal Lecture, What Is Evil?, The Only Way They Will Learn, Figure It Out Yourself, Kōan, Cryptic Conversation, Wham Line.

Super-Trope to And Then What?, which is about a specific subset of armor-piercing question to make the target think about life beyond their plan.

Compare and contrast Armor-Piercing Response, when it's a response (instead of a question) that brings the other guy to a shock. It can be used to counter an Armor-Piercing Question, but it's just as likely to be used against an entirely innocent remark. Occasionally, an Armor-Piercing Response can be phrased as a question, causing the tropes to overlap. It may also overlap with Amusing Third-Party Interjection.

While this trope can be Truth in Television as previously described, we'd still prefer to not try to catalogue real-life examples; sooner or later, somebody would insert examples that amounted to "every time my least favorite politicians were made to look like idiots", and then the supporters of those politicians would get upset, remove those examples, and probably add examples of their least favorite politicians getting pwned in retaliation, and then the supporters of those politicians would get upset… look, it should be obvious where that would end up, and it's just not worth the hassle.

noreallife

Examples:

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Advertising

An ad for Gainbridge portrays a historical event known as Tulip Mania. Tulip prices keep rising until some random guy questions why people are willing to pay so much for tulips. This ends up causing the value of tulips to plummet.

Comic Strips

In B.C. by Johnny Hart, Thor is attempting to explain the game of golf to the Cute Chick.
Cute Chick: Let's see if I get this right. The less you hit the ball, the better your score?
Thor: That's right.
Cute Chick: Then why hit it at all?
shift to nighttime; Thor standing by the tee holding his club
Thor: Why ... do ... it ... at ... all?
In one Bloom County strip, Oliver Wendell Jones takes Binkley and Opus on a Mind Screw journey contemplating the nature of the universe, all the while asking "Why?" As the trip gets more and more out of control and Oliver keeps asking why everything is the way it is, Opus gets fed up and asks "Well, WHY NOT!?" which metaphorically brings Oliver back down to Earth.
Calvin and Hobbes:
- In one strip (written during The Gulf War), Calvin asks his father, "Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?" His father has no answer for him.
- Two from the arc where Calvin and Hobbes go to Mars to escape Earth's pollution: "Is that your candy wrapper over there?" and "Would you welcome a dog that wasn't house-trained?", both asked by Hobbes after Calvin litters on Mars. Calvin realizes he's part of the problem and he and Hobbes go home so as not to ruin things for the Martians, and partly out of the realization that as human habits cause pollution, it's not right to go to another planet to escape the mess they've caused on Earth.
- A more comical version occurs when Calvin dons a cardboard box and claims to be the world's most powerful computer, telling both his mom and Hobbes to ask him a question. His mom's question is "Did Calvin clean his room as I asked him to, or did he spend the whole morning playing in a cardboard box?" (which Calvin tries to get out of answering by claiming a "system error"), and Hobbes' is "Why does the world's most powerful computer wear little red sneakers?" (Calvin ends up chasing Hobbes).
In Doonesbury a soldier asks her friend what she'll say if she's asked "Was it worth it?", to which her friend says that joining the army was great^note for her. Her friend responds that they'll be asking if the war was worth it; her friend's response is "what do you think I'm avoiding answering?"
FoxTrot: During one storyline, Steve, having missed a test due to a doctor's appointment, asks his best friend Peter what was on the test, but Peter refuses to say out of principle.
Steve: "Cheating" would be if I knew the correct answers ahead of time. All I'm doing is asking you what your answers were.
Peter: What's the difference?
Peanuts:
- Linus does this in one strip when he asks a doomsday prophet who has been terrorizing (or boring) the camp kids for a week: "Have you ever considered that you might be wrong?".
- Another strip has Charlie Brown getting ready for a baseball game and explaining to Sally that he has to put his left sock on first.
  Sally: What would happen if you didn't?
  Charlie: Well, we'd probably lose the game.
  Sally: Have you ever won?
Argentinian cartoonist Quino made a strip about a man showing to his grandson his collection of books:
Man: I've dedicated my life to reading all these books. I have learned who were the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Incas, Mayas...
Boy: Wow! And us, grandpa? Who are we?
Man: ...
(a moment later)
Mom: Where's your grandpa?
Boy: In the library, crying.
- In his comic strip Mafalda, Felipe is celebrating the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation. After cheering, he suddenly flops on the sidewalk and asks:
  Felipe: My God, what are we going to do with all this freedom from now on?
- In another Mafalda strip:
  Manolito: Today the teacher congratulated me for my high marks in arithmetic, she praised my natural ability with numbers.
  Mafalda: That's great Manolito! And what about the other subjects?
  Manolito: (Beat) ...today the teacher congratulated me for my high marks in arithmetic, she praised my natural ability with numbers...
Rick O'Shay: New preacher Jubah Lee notices Hipshot Percussion is the only town resident to not come to church. Visiting the gunslinger during his target practice, the preacher mentions how faith can give a person confidence. Hipshot explains he has all the confidence he needs, thanks. Preacher Lee replies "Oh? And is that the reason you practice with six guns two hours every day?" Stunned by the remark, an impressed Hipshot relents and goes to service the first time in his life.

Fairy Tales

In "The Wise Little Girl", a rich man tries to scam his poorer brother by claiming a foal found under his cart is his vehicle's offspring instead of his sibling's mare's. When their dispute reaches the Tsar's ears, the penniless brother's daughter settles the question quickly:
Little Girl: "We live on the hares he catches in the rivers and the fish he picks from the trees!"
The Tsar: "Aha! So you're not as clever as you seem to be! Whoever heard of hares in the river and fish in the trees!"
Little Girl: "And whoever heard of a cart having a foal?"

Music

In the music video of Beyoncé's "Pretty Hurts", the question "what is your aspiration in life?" makes the pageant contestant pause and it clearly rattles her.
Bo Burnham:
- "Repeat Stuff" has a form of this in the bridge, in which it is stated that parents will always cater to the corporately-engineered celebrity crushes of their children without hesitation or consideration of their actions out of a desire to not question their children's "love", before this perception is called into question. The music video illustrates this by showing a mother happily giving her daughter money after being shown a tabloid magazine, but having her mood quickly change from one of cheer to one of stark reflection after her daughter leaves the scene and the question is asked.
  And your parents will always come along
  Because their little girl is in love
  And how can love be wrong?
  How can love be wrong?
- "From God's Perspective" asks if maybe it could be worth making life on Earth better, rather than praying to go to Heaven.
  You pray so badly for heaven
  Knowing any day might be the day that you die
  But maybe life on earth could be heaven
  Doesn't just the thought of it make it worth a try?
"What Would You Do?" by City High, where the viewpoint character gets put in is place when he asks a girl he went to school with why she's stripping for money.
What would you do if your son was at home, crying all alone on the bedroom floor,
Cause he's hungry and the only way to feed him is to sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
And his daddy's gone in and out of lock down, I ain't got a job now, He's just smokin' rock now,
So for you this is just a good time
But for me this is what I call life
- Subverted in the bridge, when the viewpoint character replies that his mother was once in the same position, and she raised him just fine.
  And all I know is
  If my mama can do it
  Baby, you can do it
Sean Combs' song "Coming Home" lists a few during the first verse:
What am I s'posed to do when the club lights come on?
It's easy to be Puff but it's harder to be Sean
What if my twins ask why I ain't marry their mom?
Damn... how do I respond?
What if my son stares with a face like my own
And says he wants to be like me when he's grown?
Shit... but I ain't finished growing!
Death Cab for Cutie's "What Sarah Said": "So who's gonna watch you die?"
Reba McEntire after answering the phone to her husband's mistress, lays it out telling him "It's Your Call", whether he takes the call, making it clear if he does then she's leaving him.
Mega Man pulls this on Proto Man in "I Refuse (To Believe)", by The Megas:
Brother, if we walk the program, then what system do you serve?
Is your song just lines of code, or something that you heard?
Joan Osborn asks "What if God was one of us?" in her 1995 song of the same name.
In "Downstream" by the Rainmakers, the singer asks Harry Truman "What about the Bomb, are you sorry that you did it?", to which the president answers, "Pass me that bottle, and mind your own business."
Sabaton:
- "What's the price of a mile?" Secondary, "What is the purpose of it all?"
- Versailles, the last song in the album The War To End All War poses three in immediate succesion — after spending the opening chorus refering to the Treaty of Versailles that would end World War I, The War to End All War, the chorus changes that of Sarajevo, before switching to a third chorus, which asks if this war will really end all war, if it's even possible for a war to end all war, and most chilling of all, will this war lead to a new war? The fact that the music starts taking hints from Sabaton's earlier song, The Rise of Evil, which centered on the rise of the Nazis, makes the answer to the final question abundantly clear: no.
"What Would You Do (If Jesus Came To Your House)," a country gospel standard popularized by singers Porter Wagoner and Red Sovine. The armor-piercer is indeed the titular question: Christians who do not uphold their stated principles in private life are asked what they would do if they learned Jesus Christ was making an unexpected visit, and what would they do to prepare, such as having to hurriedly get rid of ill-reputable materials and be unable to carry on the normal household conversation ... and treat him like an honored guest instead of someone they were uncomfortable with having around. The song also asks listeners whether they would uphold their values only when Jesus were around before reverting to a less-than-Christian lifestyle after he had left, or if they would practice Christianity all of the time.

Podcasts

In The Adventure Zone: Balance, Merle's final question to John, the avatar of the Hunger: "Are you my friend?"

Professional Wrestling

On the July 11th, 2011 edition of Raw, John Cena delivers one to CM Punk. Punk had spent the entire promo Moving the Goalposts while talking over his contract to renew with the WWE and trying to win over the audience in the process. Cena comes out and hits Punk with a Kirk Summation, pointing out how big of a Hypocrite Punk is before asking him this question; if you love the WWE universe so much, why are you trying to leave the WWE? Punk gets furious and tries to lay the blame on Cena, but the fact he'd just been offered the very things he'd been complaining about Cena having and more but still hadn't gotten enough to stay in WWE renders him unable to effectively answer this. Punk would then piss off Cena, by deriding his claim of being the underdog. He stated that Cena, like his hometown of Boston, has long since become a dynasty, comparable to the New York Yankees. Cena, unable to argue against that claim and angered over the comparison, promptly decked him in the face.
- John Cena has been on the receiving end of armor-piercing questions as well. Such as on the March 2, 2015 edition of Raw, when Stephanie McMahon — after raking him over the coals for demanding a spot in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXXI without (in her view) doing anything notable to earn it — makes a bone-chilling, soul shaking comment: "It's not where would WWE be without John Cena. It's where would John Cena be without WWE!" (Which Cena, of course, successfully sells.)
During their 2010 feud in DGUSA, Jimmy Jacobs (at the time an atoning for his past sins) confronted Jon Moxley and tried laying one of these on him combined with a "Not So Different" Remark: "When I look at you, I just see myself in the mirror... Whole life's a struggle, isn't it? Keep fighting. Keep fighting, then what? Then what?"
On the September 3rd, 2018 edition of WWE Raw, Shawn Michaels claims during an in-ring segment that he stayed retired after his second WrestleMania loss to The Undertaker out of respect for the latter, the fans, and the business. The Deadman doesn't buy it, asking "Is it respect or is it fear?"; the Heartbreak Kid can't come up with a response to that.
On the January 18th, 1999 edition of Nitro, Kevin Nash would respond to Konnan calling him out for being in league with Hollywood Hogan's "nWo Hollywood" all along then later betraying him.
Nash: You said at the end that if you're not the lead wolf, the view never changes. Well I gotta wonder for the last two and a half years, how is your view? (Bends over, slapping his ass in a taunting manner).
At the Heat before Bad Blood 2003, Chris Nowinski asks D-Von Dudley two that he can't answer:
Nowinski: Why is your white brother always telling you what to do? Why is your white brother always telling you to get the tables?
On the February 20th, 2012 edition of WWE Raw, Triple H claims that agreeing to a WrestleMania 28 rematch with The Undertaker after the latter's Pyrrhic Victory the previous year would be bad for business due to not wanting to end the latter's career; in response, the Deadman asks one question that leaves the Game silent for a few moments:
The Undertaker: Hey businessman, then make this clear for me 'cause it's really been bothering me. Is it bad for business if I'm gone or is it bad for business that you'll be gone?

Religion

The Bible:
- The Book of Jonah actually ends with one (which theoretically doesn't count, since we don't learn Jonah's reaction). Jonah is stubbornly waiting for God to destroy the sinful city of Nineveh, despite the fact that its people have now atoned and been forgiven. As he waits, God creates a plant called a kikayon to shade him from the harsh sunlight. The next day, however, God kills the plant, and Jonah, burning up in the sun, cries out in despair. God's response:
"You took pity on the kikayon^note a kind of tree, species unknown, for which you did not toil nor did you make it grow, which one night came into being and the next night perished. Now should I not take pity on Nineveh, the great city, in which there are many more than 120,000 people who do not know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well?"
- The Book of Job features a famous example from God Himself. The premise of the book: Satan is having a chat with God in Heaven after the former has been out and about in the human world. God points out Job, His faithful servant, and Satan argues that Job is only faithful because God has blessed him with wealth, health, and many children; if he lost all of that, he would surely turn against the Divine. God accepts the challenge and tells Satan that he's free to hurt Job however he likes, as long as he doesn't murder him. Soon after, Job's sons and daughters are killed, he loses everything he has, and he's struck with festering boils and illness. At the end of the book, Job, who's been The Stoic throughout, finally asks God why he's being punished. God replies as such: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" In other words, These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know, and God is so beyond mortal comprehension that humans can't even begin to grasp His workings. Job repents, acknowledges God's mastery, and admits his own limited wisdom; this pleases God, who gifts Job more prosperity and children.
- Often used by Jesus in The Four Gospels to challenge His disciples, or to confound and remonstrate the Pharisees for being Holier than Thou.
  - The Pharisees frequently tried to do this to Jesus, usually by asking questions about secular traditions that seemingly contradicted religious mandate. Jesus's answers inevitably pointed out and defied the false dichotomy.
  - A good example of this trope is Luke 20:1-8. The Pharisees demanded Jesus tell them by what authority he was performing miracles, so he asked them whether John's baptisms were of heaven or men. If the Pharisees said heaven they knew Jesus would call them out on condemning John; if they said men, the people would hate them because the people believed John was a real prophet. They tried to Take a Third Option and say 'We don't know', to which Jesus replied 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things', meaning he won either way.
This idea, applied reflexively, is the idea behind Zen koans. The teacher, when asked a question by the student, provides an answer which is supposed to prompt the student to ask the right question to pierce their own ignorance.

Tabletop Games

The Dark Champions villain known as Dr. Enigma has a similar power called The Unanswerable Question that can leave a person in a helpless daze. He touches the victim with a chemical and then asks a bizarre question such as "Why must two and two make five?" or "What color is Tuesday?"
Mage: The Awakening invokes this with the spell called "The Inescapable Question", which causes any question to cause the hearer to stop and ponder its meaning and answer (it is noted that particularly savvy mages can get the effect by simply asking "Why?"). In effect, the spell adds a distracting veneer of profundity to a question that can be a completely inane Ice-Cream Koan.
- Hunter: The Vigil: vampires around the world will crap their pants upon receiving a piece of paper, or an SMS, or an email, or a phone call, that asks "Who is Cain?" This isn't necessarily because of the significance of Cain; it's because it means the Cainite Heresy is coming for them.
- In Hunter: The Reckoning the Redeemers have this power. They can ask a question, although what exactly the question is and if the monster answers, is not of much relevance. As long as the hunter appeals to the humane side of the target, they bring it forward and the creature is overcome with possibly forgotten feelings and emotions of being alive and mortal. The book states that a common question is "Do you remember?"
In the backstory of Warhammer 40,000, the primarch of the Night Lords, Konrad Curze, subdued the Wretched Hive of a planet he landed on as a child through brutal and uncompromising murder of anyone who broke the law. When down the line this method of governing causes extreme problems for both the planet (when Curze is gone, the place slips back into its old ways without fear of him keeping people in line) and the Astartes recruited from it (they're a bunch of sadistic, murderous psychopaths), Curze's second in command calls him out for using such brutal methods, leading to this exchange:
Curze: There was no other way.
Sevetar: No? What other ways did you try?

Theatre

1776: When Adams and Jefferson speak out in support of the anti-slavery clause in the Declaration, Jefferson describes it as an infamous practice that wounds human nature. Rutledge immediately points out Jefferson's and Massachusetts' hypocrisy:
"Then see to your own wounds, Mr. Jefferson, for you are a—practitioner, are you not?"
"[singing] Who sails the ships out of Boston?"
The Andersonville Trial: During a recess in the trial, Baker confronts Chipman with the possibility of his being a puppet of a higher mortal power, not very much unlike Wirz. Chipman does not take it well.
Christopher Durang's Baby with the Bathwater is a Black Comedy about an extremely dysfunctional family, and much of the second is about son Daisy's truckload of psychological issues thanks to his parents' terrible attempts at raising him. His mental block is symbolized by his inability to finish his freshman essay on Gulliver's Travels despite being in college for five years, and he frequently goes to see a therapist to help him. Eventually, though, the therapist, while still sympathetic to everything Daisy's gone through, points out that it's ultimately his responsibility to get over his issues and move on: "Why don't you just do the stupid essay?" This turns out to be the turning point in Daisy's life: he uses the assignment to deliver a vicious "The Reason You Suck" Speech to his parents, cuts them off entirely, and ultimately earns his happy ending.
There are multiple in Bare: A Pop Opera, most coming from Peter.
- The first happens during Birthday, Bitch! as Jason rejects Peter's attempts to be more open about their relationship
  Peter: Don't go.
  Jason: Peter, stop.
  Peter: God, but the rave—
  Jason: Was different. We don't live at a rave. Look, you have to stop acting like this.
  Peter: Like what? Your boyfriend?
- The final and most impactful one is near the end of the show, after Jason dies, where Peter confronts the priest about his actions towards Jason.
  Priest: People come to the church in times like these for answers, but I have none... Most words seem to fall empty, but I'll try. It's a horrible thing that no one should have to go through, losing...a friend, at such a young age. You know, or you should know, that he's in a better place. We'll always ask ourselves if there was something more that could've been done, that's natural.
  Peter: Do you ask yourself that, Father?
In Company (Sondheim), Bobby, with a little help from Joanne, manages to give one to himself:
Joanne: I'll take care of you.
Bobby: But who will I take care of?
Joanne (a big smile): Well, did you hear yourself? Did you hear what you just said, kiddo?
The Crucible: "Is your husband a lecher?" Repeated a few times to Elizabeth Proctor in the trial of a literal Witch Hunt. It's a Secret Test of Character by the judge, since he already knows the answer is "yes", Elizabeth's husband John is a lecher. Elizabeth is on the verge of tears the entire time, since she doesn't want to admit it to herself. When she answers "no", she's removed from the court after being told that John already confessed, which makes her breakdown even worse.
Dear Evan Hansen has several, but "How did you break your arm?" and, in the same scene, "Did you fall? Or did you let go?" It's said by a ghost in Evan's mind about how he was Driven to Suicide, but survived.
Faust: First Part of the Tragedy: "Now tell me, how do you take religion?" Asked by Gretchen to Faust. Having made a Deal with the Devil, he has a hard time answering it. It became so influential that "Gretchenfrage" entered the German vocabulary.
In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye gets angry when his daughter Tzeitel begs him not to force her to marry the town butcher.
Tevye: We made an agreement! Between us, an agreement is an agreement!
Tzeitel: Is that more important than I am, Papa?
In Hadestown, several delivered by Orpheus to Hades in his song appealing to the love Hades held in the past.
Orpheus: And what has become of the heart of that man
Now that the man is King?
What has become of the heart of that man,
Now that he has everything?
- Then, slightly later:
  Orpheus: Where is the treasure inside of your chest?
  Where is your pleasure, where is your youth?
  Where is the man, with his hat in his hands,
  Who stands in the garden, with nothing to lose?
Hamilton:
- In "Aaron Burr, Sir", Hamilton asks "if you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?". It takes Burr half the play to find what he wants: he wants to be in the room where it happens.
- To Hamilton, in "Non-Stop", Burr asks "How do you write like you're running out of time? Are you running out of time?"
Heathers: The Musical: When Veronica tries to justify hurting Martha when she comes a bit too close to finding out the truth about Ram and Kurt's deaths, Heather Chandler shoots back with:
Heather: Or he'll kill her? Is that what you're worried about?
Into the Woods has "Last Midnight," a song sung in the second act by the Witch. The whole first verse consists of simple questions delivered to the Baker, Jack, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood: "Told a little lie... stole a little gold... broke a little vow, did you?" Those questions force the heroes to admit that their shortsighted, self-centered wishes and "small" wrongdoings have had major consequences for everyone.
In Knickerbocker Holiday, Brom gives one to the council as they prepare to hang him (again):
Brom: Gentlemen, I used to think there was something wrong with me because I couldn't take orders—but now I know it was a virtue—and one you'd better learn if you want to live!
Stuyvesant: Cut that speech short! Cut that speech short!
Brom: I'm sentenced for saying that your government was better than his, and now if you don't want him to hang you all, one by one, you'll throw down that rope and speak up to him!
Stuyvesant: Take in the slack! Up with him! No hesitation!
Tienhoven: Ve petter pull! Come on!
Brom: Does he do your thinking for you, or have you minds of your own!
(There is a pause.)
Roosevelt: No, ve vouldn't pull! (Drops rope)
Stuyvesant: What?
Roosevelt: Ve vouldn't pull! My name's Roosevelt and ven I get a idea it sticks! Ve vouldn't pull!
Stuyvesant: Will you let him outwit you again?
The Council: (Sings "No, Ve Vouldn't Gonto Do It")
Legally Blonde: Emmett gives Elle one in "Chip On My Shoulder" that allows her to finally give up on chasing after Warner.
Emmett: Though it's hardly my business to say, could it be the real thing in your way is the very guy you're trying to impress?
Love in Hate Nation: When Kitty is consoling Susannah in the conversation leading into "Masochist".
Susannah: I should've taken the blame. I was afraid... of my dad finding out.
Kitty: Finding out what?
In Six: The Musical, Catherine of Aragon spends most of "No Way" giving Henry VIII a scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech for trying to divorce her for Anne Boleyn—she's spent years biting her tongue about his many affairs, but trying to leave her entirely is a step too far. Towards the end of the song, though, she calms down and makes him an offer: if he can answer a single question honestly, then she'll give him the divorce and leave without further fuss. Henry ultimately has no response.
Catherine: I've tried to swallow my pride all along. If you can just explain a single thing I've done to cause you pain... I'll go. [Beat.] No? You've got nothing to say?

Visual Novels

One could argue that finding these is pretty much the entire point of gameplay in the Ace Attorney series, since you're trying to peel away lies to uncover truths in the courtroom. Appropriately, the people being asked often react as if they've been physically pierced by the questions.
- The player is actually treated to a pair of interrelated questions at the end of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All:
  - Is it right for a murderer to get off scot-free, in order to protect the life of a completely innocent bystander? This wouldn't be too hard to answer on its own, as most justice systems have an answer built in: protect the innocent, no matter what.
  - It's the second question that makes it more complicated: Is it still right if another completely innocent person gets convicted in the guilty party's place if the latter walks free? (In context, this also amounts to "what is justice?" and "what does it really mean to be a lawyer?") As one player put it, "I have never been so paralyzed by a simple yes-or-no question in a video game."
- Earlier that case, an exchange like this happens between Phoenix and Edgeworth, when Phoenix, having realized that Engarde is indeed guilty, begins to question what being a lawyer means.
  Edgeworth: It doesn't matter who, every person deserves a proper defense and a fair trial. Isn't that the basis of our judicial system?
  Phoenix: "Proper defense"? But what exactly is that? Is it where a lawyer forcibly and blindly gets an acquittal through shouting and trickery?
  Edgeworth: ...*sigh* Ironic that you of all people should say such a thing. Isn't that exactly how you have fought for your clients up until now?
- In Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit, the new "Mind Chess" system involves having a verbal battle of wits to draw a secret out of someone by way of Dialogue Trees rather than presenting evidence and pressing statements. Hits hardest with the final opponent, a broken and defeated Eustace Winner, when the point of the final round turns out not to be acquiring any case-relevant information, but to help find a cause that's enough for a completely broken individual to go on living for.
In Café Enchanté:
- Kotone's former boss continues to call her and demand that she help with things in the company despite the fact she had quit months ago. Kotone wonders why her former boss would keep harassing someone like her who was just hired right out of school. Finally, after having enough, she realizes why.
  Kotone: Can it be ... that your business isn't able to run without me?
- In Rindo's route, when Kotone speculates if Rindo was seeing anyone, Rindo jokingly asks her to be his girlfriend, hoping to tease the easily flustered Kotone. Due to her growing feelings for him, she is actually annoyed by his joke and responds with a serious answer, surprising both herself and Rindo into silence.
  Rindo: So how about it? How'd you like to go steady with an old timer like me?
  Kotone: If ... If I said 'yes' in reply to what you asked, then what?
Youhei, of all people, gets one of these in Kyou's route in CLANNAD, when he forces Tomoya to confront the fact that the Fujibayashi sister he is dating is not the one he actually cares for.
Danganronpa: As a murder mystery series, this is well-represented.
- In the first game, there's the following:
  - "Why did you say Chihiro's blue tracksuit?"
  - "The handbook you're holding right now... is it really yours?" Part of the argument was that Mondo was the one to break Chihiro's E-Handbook, and he knew how to do it because he'd actually broken his own, and as such would be using a handbook from one of the three dead students.
  - "What's your real last name?" Celestia Ludenberg's true name is Taeko Yasuhiro, which a) she hates for not being special, and b) would implicate her as Hifumi's murderer.
  - "How did you create the locked room?" Aoi had been claiming to have murdered Sakura- but the thing is, Sakura was found in a room barred from the inside. Aoi getting defensive and claiming she doesn't have to tell them is a clear tip-off that she doesn't actually have an answer, because she isn't the culprit and didn't lock the room.
In Double Homework, Dr. Mosely has one when the protagonist tells her that summer school is for losers:
Dr. Mosely: And what do you consider yourself?
GENBA no Kizuna has protagonist Keiichi Genba ask two crucial ones at a point in which team morale is low.
- Keiichi learns that forensic investigator Rei Shirayuki is so deeply struck with guilt by her failure to investigate the T-Rex animatronic, which supposedly caused the victim's death, because of being Afraid of Blood that she is considering resigning. He tries to enlist medical examiner Shinketsu Kikai's help in talking her out of quitting, only for Shinketsu to refuse, claiming that quitting would be better for Rei than going down a path she's not suited for. Keiichi replies, "And who are you to say what's not? Her dad?" The question hits Shinketsu harder than Keiichi could have realized, since Shinketsu's relationship with his son Taiko from Shinrai is strained due to Shinketsu trying to dissuade Taiko from becoming a doctor.
- Keiichi finds fellow officer Himatsu Mizu at her wits' end supervising the witnesses/suspects, who have become even more uncooperative after Himatsu, by sharing her half-baked theories she made by herself, inadvertently accused one of them of murder. Himatsu insists that she can solve the case by herself and that she doesn't need Keiichi's help, to which Keiichi replies, "Officer Himatsu Mizu, I thought we had come to an understanding?" before asking a series of questions as to whether Himatsu has any reason to distrust him. Himatsu concludes that no, she does not, then becomes more cooperative going forward.
The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty:
- Liang doesn't immediately believe Sui's story about the Swine Demon because he noticed some holes in her logic and therefore questions her about them. For example, if she was letting herself be delivered to the Swine Demon, then why did she attempt to kill her transporter Liang? Sui then says she mistook him as a Swine Demon, though as explored later on, he still wonders just how much of her story is true.
- Liang Chapter 7 ends with Sui wondering if Liang would let her go if in case she didn't want to avenge her sister anymore. In one of the dialogue options, Liang can be unsure on what to reply, as he would be in a dilemma of doing a "good thing" or losing the job he accepted in the first place. The question also made him wonder if Sui was telling the truth in her backstory or if she mixed in some lies.
- In Liang Chapter 9, Liang and Tongue have a heated disagreement after realizing their journey to Luoyang means the four girls will be sacrificed and killed instead of being adopted and raised. Tongue harshly points out this job isn't that different from Liang's old habit of killing people as a bandit. Said disagreement was enough to make Liang ponder a lot of things that night, he hardly slept afterwards.
  Tongue: ... but who knows how many you've indirectly killed? So, what's different with this job? You aren't doing the killing anyway.
Katawa Shoujo:
- In Rin's route, as Nomiya is angry about Rin walking away from the exhibit and Hisao questions whether the commitment is worthwhile, Nomiya asks Hisao if he has anything comparable to Rin's passion for Art. Hisao, who may or may not have left the club by this point, based on player decisions, silently concedes that the answer is no.
- Also, asking one of these of Rin is the key to getting her good ending. Rin laments that what she really wants is for someone to understand her well enough to not have to ask her questions; Hisao asks, "But if you found someone like that, then what?"
- Jigoro, in response to Hisao suggesting that he visit his daughter Shizune at Yamaku, ends up asking Hisao when the last time he's called his parents. Hisao is forced to concede that he hasn't done a very good job of keeping in touch with them; other routes show minimal, and usually off-screen contact with them.
Kindred Spirits on the Roof: In the days after Seina kisses a sleeping Miki, Hina notices that Seina is troubled. Seina tells Hina that she hurt someone close to her and is afraid of how that person will react. Hina urges Seina to go see that person, asking her, "She's precious to you, isn't she? Is she someone you can't stand being near?". This question forces Seina to confront the fact that she misses Miki and doesn't want to be parted from her, resulting in her apologizing to Miki and the two reconciling.
- In September, Matsuri and Miyu, the captain and vice-captain of the track team, get into an argument over their Secret Relationship. They end up dragging their mutual friend and kohai Hina into their dispute by having a competition over who can give Hina the better date at the School Festival, and Hina's Childhood Friend Yuna becomes very anxious about the result of the competition and who Hina will pick. Sachi then asks Yuna this question. Yuna says it doesn't matter- she doesn't want Hina to go out with either one- and eventually has to confront the fact that she's in love with Hina.
  Sachi: Does it matter to you, which one Hina-chan goes out with, Yuna-san?
- After Miyu and Matsuri's date competition over Hina ends, Hina notes that they really love each other, since each one kept talking about the other one while they were showing Hina around the festival. She then asks this question that forces Matsuri and Miyu to admit how stubborn they've been and admit that they were in a relationship.
  Hina: So how come you're fighting?
In A Little Lily Princess
- Lavinia and Jessie profess to be best friends, but it becomes clear that Lavinia doesn't think much of Jessie. On Lavinia's route, Lavinia expresses a preference for the protagonist, Sara, over Jessie, noting that Jessie does not think for herself, and Jessie is thus unworthy of being Lavinia's companion. Sara then asks the following question, which leaves Lavinia at a loss for words.
  Sara: Then what reward is there for Jessie's loyalty?
- Slightly earlier in the route, Lavinia's immediate reaction to Sara's father dying deep in debt after the diamond mine he invested in turned out to seemingly be unprofitable is to rage at Sara and accuse her of trying to ruin her family. Sara infers that Lavinia tried to get her father to invest in the diamond mine, and that Lavinia is angry with Sara because of the mine supposedly turning out to be unprofitable, thus leading to Captain Crewe's ruin. As Lavinia rants about her father wouldn't listen to the fancies of a little girl, Sara asks her, "My Papa listened to me. Does yours?" Lavinia hits Sara but it's clear that the question struck a sensitive point for her.
A Profile's second route has Miku as the heroine, who is prone to asking Masayuki questions he really doesn't want to answer about his study habits and how he quit track. The answer that he doesn't want to admit is that he really misses being on the track field. Before this, people were too afraid to mention it in front of him.
Near the end of Shinrai: Broken Beyond Despair, after three(or if the player makes the right choices, two) of the guests are found dead, Kamen is suspected of murdering them. If Raiko chooses to defend Kamen, she will ask this question of Taiko when the latter demands that Raiko provide evidence for her arguments, since Raiko is fully aware that the accuser is not thinking rationally.
Raiko: Oh, you mean like 'you' showed us actual proof that Kamen killed her...? Don't worry. Unlike you, I do have the necessary evidence to support my claims. If you want me to, I can prove it to you right here, right now. But I want you to apologize to Kamen first. She might be innocent, you know? Or do 'you' have any actual proof that she's the culprit?
Much like the Ace Attorney example mentioned above, these questions are the entire point of Socrates Jones: Pro Philosopher, which draws heavy inspiration from that series AND is about philosophy and debate.

Web Animation

The Amazing Digital Circus: Fed up with Jax's avoidant behavior and dishonesty, Pomni delivers one during their fight in episode 6. Jax is able to shoot right back though.
Pomni: What would you do if I abstracted tomorrow?
Jax: I'd move on. And probably forget about you.
In the season one finale of Camp Camp Max gives one to top off his Breaking Speech to David:
Max: Life sucks, and we live in a world of desensitized, apathetic assholes! Why don't you just get with the program and stop giving a shit?
- Cue Armor-Piercing Response
Doobus Goobus: In "The Confederacy Was Bad", Doobus dismantles a Confederate apologist and lost causer's arguments about how the Civil War was fought over "states' rights" by repeatedly asking him "States' rights to do what?"
Fools Gold: Into the Bellowing Wilds:
- In episode 29 Gothi and Erina asking Sips in the midst of one of his rage induced moments when he's being pushed by Xanu to chase after the crystal that Jack and Masika have escaped with through the portal "What do you want?" has him breaking down and admitting he just wants all the stress of his situation to be over and that he wants to make a difference, so that he can feel that his life is worth something.
- In episode 30 Xanu attempts to give one to Gothi, asking if she's still unwilling to commit genocide if it means Foreclaimers like Goddrick III will continue their cruelty. Gothi then suggests they Take a Third Option, and then asks which one Xanu is willing to let go: his anger, or her. Xanu starts crying, and chooses to let go of his anger, ending his plan to commit genocide.
Helluva Boss:
- Three times in "Loo Loo Land":
  - Played for Laughs in one of the few moments where Octavia smiles. She asks the Loo Loo Land mascot about the... familiarity of the park.
    Octavia: (sarcastically) Is it true this park is just a really shameless spinoff of Lucifer's far more popular Lu Lu World?
    Loo Loo: ...No?
  - Played for Drama when Octavia confronts her father about the situation at home and their future together. It forces Stolas to refocus on her.
    Octavia: Are you going to run off with [Blitzo]? And leave me behind? Go away where I can't find you?
    Stolas: What? No! No, no, never. I'd never do that... Never.
  - Defied when Robo Fizz tries to lay one on Blitzo, who responds quickly with no emotional distress.
    Robo Fizz: Real or not, though, people lo-ove me! Does anybody love yo-o-ou, Blitz-o?
    Blitzo: No. But I'm really good with guns now! DANCE, BITCH!
- In "Truth Seekers", while Blitzo is hallucinating due to the truth serum gas, he experiences visions of people in his life delivering a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, followed up by two questions:
  Hallucination Stolas: Are you afraid to love people, Blitzy?
  Hallucination Moxxie: I believe your subconscious is trying to tell you that you simply cannot fathom proper intimacy, but also crave it as well. It's rather unfortunate, sir, considering it's often how you treat those who stand by you, such as myself. Are you worried I may have enough of it someday as well?
  Blitzo: STOP FUCKING TALKING, ALL OF YOU!
- In "OZZIE'S", during their date, Stolas asks Blitzo about his day, showing interest in his job and asking him what made him invite Stolas out after all this time. These mundane questions catch Blitzo off-guard; he didn't expect Stolas to show interest in him for anything other than sex, and can't bring himself to admit he was using Stolas as a plus-one so he could spy on Moxxie and Millie.
- In "The Circus", when Stella returns from her weekend with Octavia to berate Stolas, he asks point-blank "Why are you still here?" She drops all pretense of anger and admits she likes tormenting him, and wants to keep holding his infidelity against him.
- In "Seeing Stars", when Loona tries to talk Octavia into coming home after she had run off, Octavia breaks down, bitter over Stolas forgetting his promise and focus solely on his divorce from Stella, and says "Why does he hate her more than he loves me?" Despite Loona not being the target of Octavia's scorn, the words visibly affect her and get her to open up more emotionally.
- Octavia delivers an absolutely devastating serise of these to Stolas in "Sinsmas" once she confronts him about taking antidepressants and hiding it.
  Octavia: Was it my fault you needed these?
  Stolas: No, Sweetie, never! You have always been the only good thing in my life!
  Octavia: So you just stayed miserable because of me? Was I some fucking obligation? Is that why you didn't even hesitate when you got the chance to leave?
If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device:
- Small, and hidden in the middle of general berating, but it's a particularly effective part of it: As the Emperor's reading his Custodes the riot act for standing around in the Imperial Palace instead of actually going out there and actually fighting battles, he drives it in with the following question:
  The Emperor: "When was the last time anyone of you killed anything?"
  Karstodes: "Uh..."
  Whamuudes: "Erm..."
  Custodisi: "I killed a fly the other day...!"
- Magnus to Kitten when the latter is defending Emperor's logic.
  Magnus: Well, if that truly is the case, how come you haven't deactivated Guilliman's life support yet? It is one of his highest demands, isn't it?
The Music Freaks: Delivered by Zander in episode 2. Jake is arguing with him, insisting that he really does have a passion for music. Zander asks “then why have you talked down on us for so long?”.
During the climactic battle of Nazo Unleashed, Perfect Nazo expresses his admiration for Sonic and Shadow's Fusion Dance into Hyper Shadic… then pointedly asks how many Rings they have left. Cue a massive Oh, Crap! moment for Hyper Shadic as they realise they can't sustain the transformation for much longer.
In The Nightmare Before Christmas Who: Skellington's Revenge Sponge Bob gives one to Jack after the latter explains why he set out to take over Christmas.
Jack: All I ever wanted was to bring them a great special...AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'LL DO!
Sponge Bob: Well, why didn't you just ask?
Red vs. Blue: Season nine has York asking North one in the flashback segments:
York: We're the good guys, right?
RWBY:
- On the mission to Mountain Glenn, Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck individually challenges Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long over why they want to become Huntresses. This question catches them all off-guard, and leads to them doubting the answers they gave him. While Oobleck sleeps, they talk it over, and realise the true point of being a Huntress is to put the needs of others before their own desires. Oobleck's faint smile as they reach this epiphany makes it clear he's not asleep and was listening all along.
  Blake: There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality, corruption... Someone has to stop it.
  Oobleck: Very well. How?
- James Ironwood responds to the danger facing humanity by bring a large army to protect Vale, but it takes him a long time to understand why Ozpin, Glynda Goodwitch, and Qrow Branwen disapprove. He only understands during a group argument that ends when Ozpin asks him a question that emphasizes how armies unsettle people enough to generate the kind of negative atmosphere that will attract the Grimm.
  Ozpin: A guardian is a symbol of comfort; an army is a symbol of conflict. There is an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds: if this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?
- In Volume 3, Pyrrha Nikos asks Cinder Fall "Do you believe in destiny?", causing the latter to respond with an oddly morose "Yes".
- While dueling with Ilia Amitola in the fifth volume, Blake asks if her violent actions are what her parents would have wanted for her. Ilia tearfully confesses she doesn't know what to do any more and she eventually has a Heel–Face Turn.
- Adam Taurus confidently tells Blake he's made powerful new friends in Salem's group, but Sun Wukong flippantly asks him where they are, pointing out that for all his talk about having allies, none of them are rushing to help him. Upon discovering that his men are being arrested, Adam eventually realises Sun's right and flees Haven.
- At the conclusion of the battle at Haven, Yang challenges Raven Branwen about the person she is compared to the person her father Taiyang Xiao Long described. Once she asks "Did you kill her, too?", it stops Raven dead in her tracks. As Yang becomes increasingly confident, Raven emotionally disintegrates and tearfully leaves Yang with the Relic of Knowledge.
- In Volume 7, Ruby Rose cheerfully hands a sombre Oscar Pine the Relic of Knowledge to look after while Teams RWBY and JNPR are on a mission. However, Oscar asks "doesn't [hiding things from Ironwood] feel like what Ozpin did to us?", causing Ruby to stop dead in her tracks. She later tells Qrow she's unsure if she's as bad as Ozpin; while he confidently states she's different, she remains unconvinced.
- In Volume 8, Ozpin asks how Hazel Rainart's hatred of him can lead to the conclusion that siding with evil like Salem is the answer to his problems. This shakes Hazel into revealing he did initially go after Salem, but she broke him. After telling him there's no point opposing an unstoppable force like her, she redirects his rage at Ozpin.
- Though Elm Ederne freaks out about the heroes' plan to rescue the citizens of Atlas and Mantle, Robyn Hill asks her and Vine Zeki what she thinks a kingdom is made of. This gets through to both of them. Vine immediately goes to stop Harriet Bree from following Ironwood's orders, while Elm follows in Robyn's ship as Vine's back-up; both are convinced the heroes are right to evacuate the people since a kingdom is its people, not its infrastructure.
Velma Meets the Original Velma: One such questions kicks off the entire plot. What is it? "Why can Scooby talk?"
Wacky Game Jokez, 4 Kidz!: "Was there ever a time when you were not a dick?"

Web Original

In Crash Course: US History, John Green mentions a time this happened to him in Real Life when learning about The American Civil War:
John Green: Me-From-The-Past, in your senior year of high school, you will be taught American Government by Mister Fleming, a white southerner who will seem to you to be about a hundred and eighty-two years old. And you will say something to him in class about States' Rights, and Mister Fleming will turn to you and he will say "A State's Right to what, sir?", and for the first time in your snotty little life you will be well and truly speechless.
Critical Role:
- "What's my mother's name?" Scanlan asks this of the group after he's brought back from the dead, during his blistering "The Reason You Suck" Speech. He's furious with the others for letting his daughter, Kaylie, see him dead, and now he's accusing them all of not really knowing him or caring about him. No one can answer the question. He leaves the party in that episode to be with Kaylie, and doesn't return for some time.
- In the second campaign, the final fight against Lucien turns into an "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight as the Nein realize that trying to call out to Mollymauk causes something inside him to react. Lucien is not happy about it, and arrogantly tells the Nein that That Man Is Dead.
  Lucien: That person is dead! He never really existed! You're shouting into nothing, my dear!
  Jester: Then why is this working?!
- In the third campaign Ludinus reveals to the Hells why he wants to unleash Predathos and kill the gods: because his family, who were followers of the Lawbearer, was killed during the fight between the Lawbearer and the Crawling King that destroyed the city of Ozana. He accuses the gods of only caring about themselves. Imogen proceeds to render him speechless for the first time in the whole campaign:
  Imogen: Would you have rather let the Lawbearer have the Crawling King free, loose on the world?
In Death by Dying: At the end of episode three when the Obituary Writer breaks the Grief Support Group out of their forced happiness, an upset Charlotte confronts him with a question he doesn't have a response to.
Charlotte: You write about death O.W. but how much do you know about what it feels like to lose someone?
Heart of Elynthi: Spade the Warforge asked Buck two of them. One, he asked Buck if the only reason the latter has faith in his goddess is for a big pay off, then would that even be worth it. And two, he asked Buck if the latter finally gets that pay off, then what will Buck do after that. Buck was visibly shaken by those questions, but Spade reassured Buck that he can take his time finding his answers.
In Hitherby Dragons, this is the method Ii Ma uses to trap others within the Place Without Recourse. They are given a question that they cannot answer without negating everything they believe in — and while that question remains unanswered, they're left in a place where nothing they can do matters at all.
In The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Jane asked Lizzie what she planned to do with herself after her degree and the normally vocal Lizzie is rendered speechless with only a few words.
The Music Freaks: Delivered by Zander in episode 2. Zander is suspicious of Jake's motives for joining the music club, and Jake is arguing with him, insisting that he really does have a passion for music. Zander asks "Then why have you talked down on us for so long?", which shuts him up.
The Music Video Show has this in the second part of Episode 100. The third season host calls out the flaws of the second season host's episodes, who admits to those problems.
Second Season Host: Why didn't YOU come back after three months?
''[Cue "The Reason You Suck" Speech against the third season host, who can only respond in silence.]
Nazo no Eizou - CM Channel: "Let's Try Answering" starts off as a question competition asking the viewer: why they work, what they do when making a mistake, and what should they be at work. After the questionee selected all "B" answers, which are self-centered, the ad cuts to black with the caption: "How long will you remain a child?" before fading into another caption reading, "Don't underestimate society".
In "NEVER say this to a Software Engineer", a Computer Science major and his friend have various exchanges in which the CS major defends his degree, while his friend, without looking up from his phone, asks a question that pokes a hole in the CS major's argument.
CS Major: AI isn't going to replace all of us. It's just going to be a tool that makes us more efficient. My degree is just as important as it was before AI.
Friend: How's the job market looking?
[CS Major throws a ball at his friend's head as a "To Be Continued" arrow appears and the first notes of "Roundabout" play]
No Evil features one in Episode 39: Sorrow when Charles is inside Ichabod's mind, attempting to free him from the Black Tezcatlipoca, by letting him win at a game.
Charles: Trust me. What I want really isn't important.
Ichabod: What? You're keeping me here!
Charles: Am I?
Ichabod: You're... You...
Charles: So what do you want?
Ichabod: I want... I don't want-
Charles: WHAT do you WANT?
The Nostalgia Critic:
- In his phone call to the director of My Pet Monster, the critic's self-loathing starts to seep in when he gets asked why he's in his twenties and is still watching kids' movies. The next episode finds him in a depressed state reviewing old commercials (this became an annual tradition that usually comes out the week before Thanksgiving).
- Santa Christ gives an armor piercing question and statement in Christmas Story 2 that causes the critic to show guilt.
  Nostalgia Critic: Santa Christ, I need your help on something. I just threw out this really annoying person named Hyper Fangirl.
  Santa Christ: Well, what did she do?
  Nostalgia Critic: She tried to make me appreciate Christmas. [he immediately realizes his mistake]
  Santa Christ: Wow. You're a douche.
  Nostalgia Christ: No no no, it's not like that. She did all these terrible things and she deserves to be punished for it.
  Santa Christ: Well last I heard, she was flying 35,000 feet through the air completely set on fire. Sounds like punishment enough to me.
  Nostalgia Critic: You're not gonna be on my side, are you?
  Santa Christ: I don't think you're on your side.
On Not Always Working, a company realizes most of their job applicants are deliberately botching or no-showing the interview, so they can claim to be seeking work on their unemployment applications. The company starts reporting so to the unemployment agency so those claims can be denied. When one applicant complains, they get asked two questions they are unable to answer: "What is the company's name?" and "What do we do?"
In Red vs. Blue: Singularity, Big Bad Chrovos is taunting Donut about how he cannot hope to defeat her, only to slip up and say a little too much in the process. Her evasive responses to Donut's realization confirm the first step towards stopping her plot.
Chrovos: Don't feel bad, my boy, you just have no distance left to run. Time became chaos from the second the paradox was created, backwards.
Donut: And... after that?
Chrovos: ...Hm?
Donut: You said time's all weird from the paradox backwards. What about after the paradox? What's happening in that time?
A humorous example in The Salvation War. A succubus is hosting a talk show and is interrogating some corrupt politician about his misdeeds. When he tries to flip the script and says the she must've commited some terrible atrocities herself in the past, she responds that yes, she most certainly had, but then she's a literal demon from Hell. What's his excuse?
- Apparently this has become a catchphrase for Luga, the succubus in question, though by the second book it's become clear that the demons aren't Always Chaotic Evil and the phrase might be getting retired (Luga herself is self-serving at worst but ultimately sided with Humanity during the war),
Near the end of Sewn, Rajesh is enraged to learn that the Lizzy who wasn't willing to leave her universe behind to start her life over in his reality has found another Rajesh who was willing to join her instead. Ms. Marjory responds to his ranting about how much he loves her by asking "What do you love about Lizzy?" Raj finds himself stammering, utterly taken aback and scrambling to think of any details beyond how she stood by him throughout his battle with cancer.
In Welcome to Night Vale Earl Harlan is trying to talk to Cecil about being stuck at nineteen years old for a century while Cecil is reminiscing about their last days in high school together and glossing over Earl's concerns, until Earl asks him what year they graduated. After several seconds of absolute silence Earl prompts him with "You don't remember, do you?" and Cecil abruptly changes the subject.
In Worm, Emma uses one of these on Taylor in Chapter 2.4 as part of her bullying campaign.

Other

There's an urban legend of a group of college students who miss a final exam (in most variations, the students had gotten piss drunk the night before, feeling overconfident and deciding to throw a party instead of studying, and overslept thanks to a hangover) and then go to their instructor after the final and lie to the instructor that they got a flat tire trying to drive to the exam together. The instructor offers them another chance — or rather, appears to — by having them take a make-up final, on the caveat that they all take it in separate rooms to prevent any collaborative cheating. The students go into their assigned rooms, complete a pretty routine question that's worth 5 points, but when they turn the page, they're faced with the following question:
"(95 pts.) Which tire?"

Armor-Piercing Question
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Teresa catches Jordan

Armor-Piercing Question 67 Following

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Teresa catches Jordan

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Teresa catches Jordan

Armor-Piercing Question
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