so that they don't have to engage in a slow and lengthy question and answer session where the questioner is trying to extract (often painfully - to the questioner) prerequisite information

You are absolutely right: the questioning should not be painful for the questioner, but for the questioned. I think we should ask the gods to create a new section in the monastery where the monks with poorly defined problems are questioned by mean of the appropriate tools.

After all, nobody expects Spanish Inquisition.