Resources theoretical framework proposes that knowledge elements that comprise thinking are sensible, based on experience, and continuous. The theory assumes that activation of these knowledge elements (i.e., resources) is context sensitive and that an important dimension of context is the question students are answering. The context sensitivity of resource activation has been demonstrated empirically by case studies that show students using different resources to answer questions that are similar in focus. This paper further substantiates and adds specificity to the field's understanding of the context sensitivity of resource use by demonstrating a pattern in resource activation for questions about mechanical pulse propagation, superposition, and reflection. In particular, analysis shows a pattern in the kinds of resources students use to answer different styles of questions about the same physics topic. Questions that ask for a prediction tend to elicit rules or procedures, while questions that ask students to explain an observation elicit these plus ideas about force, energy, and motion. Our results call both researchers' and instructors' attention to the style of question that they ask and the impact it has on the resources commonly cued for students.