Items on examination papers are conventionally called 'questions', even tho they are commonly injunctive rather than interrogative in form as somewhat pedantically & redundantly mentioned above; frequently taking the form of a quotation [often invented by the examiner, I suspect, rather than taken from some actual critical or discursive work as he hopes to make it appear] followed by the instruction to "Discuss".

≈M≈

Eliza -- You get·well·soon, yahear!