What is the first question you would ask an extraterrestrial?
The first one, obviously, would be How did you get here, in the sense of how their space travel worked. I dont think theyll answer that one; when they arrive, they will know how to come here, but we dont know how to visit them, which will probably look very good from their perspective, in case we turn out to be dangerous. Then, therell be a barrage of things like Who are you, in the sense of their biology and psychology, What is your home planet likeboth of which probably will be answered, if a bit superficially. Next, itll be some variation on Please tell us about your travels, especially if theyve encountered others. Someone is bound to ask Why did you come here, and theyll answer Exploration, regardless of whether its true. Others will ask Can I come with you, which theyll politely reject. This will probably cover the first years of contact. The next set of questions will then build on the answers we got, so theres no telling what theyll be.