As I'm close to my viva I was wondering if others could help by naming typical questions that come up in vivas?

for example:

1. why is this project worth examining?
2. why did you select this methodology?

etc.

I was given this list as general ones - freaks me out a bit though!

In one sentence, what is your thesis?
What do you think you have done that merits a award of a PhD?
Why were you interested in this research topic?
Whom do you think would be most interested in your work?
Summarise your key findings. What was the most interesting to you?
What have you learnt from your research experience?
What would you do differently if you could do your thesis again?
What advice would you give to a new research student entering this topic area?
What are the most recent major developments in your area?
Which are the three most important papers that relate to your thesis?
How does your research relate to these?
What is your original contribution to research in your subject area?
Has your view of your research topic changed during the course of the research?
What are the main achievements of your research?
What are any alternatives to the approach or method you used? Why did you decide not to use them?
What published work is closest to what you have done? How is your work different?
How do you know that your findings are correct?
How long term is your contribution
Have you thought about publications? Which journals are appropriate?
What were the crucial research decisions you made?
What do you see as the next steps in this research?

Thanks, Sneaks. These questions are really useful !

My viva is at least a year away but am going to save those questions now so I don't forget them!

======= Date Modified 26 Oct 2011 10:19:03 =======
Thanks Sneaks!

A few more to add (word of warning: I got these from google some time ago)

· How did you come to research this topic in this manner?
· What are the main achievements of your research?
· What has your thesis has contributed to our knowledge in this field?
· What are the major theoretical strands in this area: what are the crucial ideas, and who are the main contributors?
· What are the main issues (matters of debate or dispute) in this area?
· Where is your thesis 'placed' in terms of the existing theory and debate? How would the major researchers react to your ideas?
· Whom do you think will be most interested in this work?
· Why did you choose the particular research methodology that you used?
· What were the crucial research decisions that you made?
· If you were doing this research again, would you consider using any other research methodology?
· What do you see as the next steps in this research?
· What was the most interesting finding in your results?
· Isn't this all obvious?
· Were you surprised by any of your results (if so: why, and what was surprising)?
· What haven't I asked you that I should have, and what would your answer have been?

edit to remove a couple that were already on Sneaks' post

Thanks billy8181 for asking this question and many thanks to Sneaks and Skig for the fantastic tips!