Hola

Parrots can learn the concept of questions. I don't know about the claim that chimpanzees that were taught sign language never learned to ask questions, or the theory that it simply wouldn't occur to them that the human handlers might know things that they personally do not, or that whatever information they have might be worth knowing. But I don't even remember where I read that, and at best it's an anecdote of an anecdote, but anyway, parrots.

The exact complexity of natural parrot communication in the wild is beyond human understanding for the time being, but you can catch glimpses of how complex it is by looking at how much they learn to pick up from human speech. Sure, they figure out that this sound means this object, animal, person, or other thing. Human says "peanut" and presents a peanut, so the sound "peanut" means peanut. Yes. But if you make the same sound with a rising intonation, you are inquiring about the possibility of a peanut.

A bird that's asking "peanut?" knows there is no peanut physically present in the current situation, but hypothetically, there could be a peanut. The human knows whether there will be a peanut. The bird knows that making this specific human sound with this specific intonation is a way of requesting for this information, and a polite way of informing the human that a peanut is desired.

In the last few hours, Nathaniel had had put forcefully in his brain a good amount of quite loud memories, opinions and thoughts. It was difficult, not to say impossible, ignore them: he had in his head a steady hum, commenting on everything.

So it came as a surprise hearing silence; it lasted only the time of half beat, of course, but it did strike him, almost destabilized him. Then came a tangled streaming of emotions and memories.

Nathaniel was able to decipher only few scenes: a sumptuous hall where it seemed to take place a wild food battle, two men squatting under a stone block in the middle of the desert, and thousands and thousands of arguments, skirmishes, insults in as many languages and ages.

It was difficult getting his head around, but Nathaniel felt underneath the chaos a very familiar emotion: grief.

Nathaniel knew he wasn’t very good at comforting people, not to say thousand-year-old spirits which he had fought (using a euphemism) with just an hour ago; about comforting over the death of a spirit gone crazy, that had tried to kill them, but that, clearly, Bartimaeus had known since the night of times… Well, Nathaniel was sure even Kitty would have had some difficulties.

The last thought raised a mental snort from Bartimaeus. It was really irritating not being able to ruminate in peace.

You’re telling me.

Bartimaeus, I…

Let it go, Nat. It’s… weird, that’s all. I knew him since the beginning. Always around meddling and stealing my job or badmouthing me in front of pharaohs… classic. A shame it’s ended like this, though. I wanted to beat him up a little. Get revenge for the story of the fish soup, you know.

Oh, so it was him that put you in so wretched shape? Have you been defeated by a skinny guy?

You know very well he wasn’t human and you put me in such conditions I looked like a mop.

Nathaniel hid a smile. If you say so. To me, he seemed a pretty powerful djinni.

All appearances. A pause. He was pretty good at cooking, though. Human food, too.

Too?

"Had the boy been there alone, without my prompting presence, would he have acted with such speed against the bodies of his fellow ministers? Despite their deformities, their slack faces and oddly angled limbs, I doubt it. He was a human; always, always humans gravitate to surfaces."

And he even makes fun of Nat, pointing out he didn't even like these people in the first place

But hey wait look not twenty pages later when it's time to kill one of his oldest friends enemies ...acquaintances and (emphasis mine):

"He made some movement or other with his fleshy body; I don't remember what. I did nothing, but I was conscious of the boy's immediate command. A stab of pure white light—it faded, vanished, scoured Faquarl from the Earth."

questions at the end of a job interview are about showing engagement & interest in a position (or the company), and providing yourself an opportunity to bring something up about your work experience if there wasn't an earlier, natural moment to do so.

good questions at the end of an interview would be:

Do your research on the company/position ahead of time. Have they posted about anything recently on their social media pages? Any new events, initiatives, partnerships? Who are their clients, partners, sponsors? The idea here is to show-off that you've done your research and are familiar with the company—familiar enough to craft an articulate and thoughtful question about how they run their business. This is the trickiest question to prep for as you have to tailor it for each company and/or position. But if you nail it, it helps make you stand out as an applicant.

"What makes you (the interviewer) most excited about this company/workplace?" Whatever the interviewer says, say that that's really interesting/exciting to hear and that you look forward to working someplace with those qualities.

If the position involves project-based work, ask, "What would be your dream project to work on/design?" In my experience, successful interviews feel more like a two-way conversation. Show interest in your interviewer as a future coworker by asking them about what they like. Everyone likes talking about their interests!

"Is there any position or responsibility on my resume or in my workplace experience that you have questions about?" If they do, this is an opportunity to address any concerns or reservations they may have.

"What's a trait/task that a prior employee had/did in this position that was particularly successful?" Whatever trait or task the interviewer mentions, like attention to detail or a specific way of doing the job, nod your head and say that you either share that trait or enjoy doing those things already.

Similarly, "What quality are you most looking for in your new hires?" Again, nod and say that you share that quality.

If you truly have no questions, use this opportunity for a strong end to your interview, i.e., "No, thank you, this was very informative and I don't have any more questions! I'm really excited by this position and I look forward to talking with you soon."

And then, this is the MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY INTERVIEW, but immediately after, YOU MUST WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE.

The note should thank the interviewer for their time and for giving you the opportunity to meet with them and learning more about the position. Bonus points if you write a line specifically referencing something your interviewer told you—the point here is not only to show you were paying attention/are sincerely interested in the position, but also to help remind your interviewer who you are (they might see many candidates and need help keeping everyone straight).

When should you send the thank you? ASAP. If you interviewed remotely or on the phone, send an email within 24 hours. If you interviewed in person, bring a notecard with you. Either write the thank you outside the building and then pass along to the receptionist before leaving, or put in the mailbox on your way home.

im speaking as someone who has been told, over multiple jobs from direct supervisors as well as hiring managers, that I was selected because I wrote a thank you card. i personally oversaw a hiring/promotion just this week where the decided factor between two candidates was that one of the applicants wrote a handwritten note after. my current position (I manage a department) is one that works closely with HR and is involved in their hiring practices. a common refrain is to reject candidates who do not follow up post-interview