When we describe something as explosive, we usually mean one of two things: that the item under discussion is designed or likely to explode in the literal sense, as in an explosive device, or that that it’s likely to lead to violence or hostility, as in an explosive issue. The synonym volatile emphasizes instability and unpredictability; volatile market conditions fluctuate sharply and regularly, and someone with a volatile disposition is mercurial and flighty. Where volatile overlaps the most with explosive is in discussions of unstable situations, as ones marked by strained relations or elevated tensions, that threaten to break out into open violence: a volatile political situation.

Question is the general, neutral verb to refer to asking someone a question or questions—or is it? While it is perfectly legitimate to say, The nurse practitioner questioned him about his injuries, it could have unwanted overtones that need managing. Asking is neutral, but questioning often implies a series of questions and can convey a badgering or suspicious air. To interrogate someone is to engage in formal, systematic questioning of someone, often with the aim of eliciting information they do not want to provide. The word is most often used in the context of criminal investigations and courtrooms (The suspect was detained and interrogated), so it's the perfect bit of hyperbole to use when you're merely being questioned.

Obedient and docile describe a person or animal who submits to the rules, requests, or power of another. One who is obedient, like a child, a servant, a worker, or a dog, does what they're told, out of a desire to please or show respect for someone of greater authority (or simply to avoid punishment). Obedient suggests a learned behavior, whereas docile suggests the nature, temperament, or state of a person or, more likely, an animal. A docile creature may be tamed or domesticated, in which case it has been, in a common phrase, rendered docile. If wild, a docile animal is non-threatening or approachable by nature (a normally docile species of shark). A docile person offers no resistance to being handled or controlled by others. Docile can suggest sweetness and gentleness, but usually it implies submissiveness and passivity: docile citizens, docile population, docile workers.