diff --git a/pybatfish/question/question.py b/pybatfish/question/question.py
index 12085aa..4c88c01 100644
--- a/pybatfish/question/question.py
+++ b/pybatfish/question/question.py
@@ -76,17 +76,21 @@ class QuestionMeta(type):
         """Creates a new class for a specific question."""
         new_cls = super(QuestionMeta, cls).__new__(cls, name, base, dct)
 
-        def constructor(self, question_name=None,
-                        exclusions=None, **kwargs):
+        def constructor(self, *args, **kwargs):
             """Create a new question."""
+            # Reject positional args; this way is PY2-compliant
+            if args:
+                raise TypeError("Please use keyword arguments")
+
             # Call super (i.e., QuestionBase)
             super(new_cls, self).__init__(new_cls.template)
 
             # Update well-known params, if passed in
-            if exclusions is not None:
-                self._dict['exclusions'] = exclusions
-            if question_name:
-                self._dict['instance']['instanceName'] = question_name
+            if "exclusions" in kwargs:
+                self._dict['exclusions'] = kwargs.get("exclusions")
+            if "question_name" in kwargs:
+                self._dict['instance']['instanceName'] = kwargs.get(
+                    "question_name")
             else:
                 self._dict['instance']['instanceName'] = (
                     "__{}_{}".format(
@@ -94,14 +98,18 @@ class QuestionMeta(type):
 
             # Validate that we are not accepting invalid kwargs/variables
             instance_vars = self._dict['instance'].get('variables', {})
-            var_difference = set(kwargs.keys()).difference(instance_vars)
+            additional_kwargs = {'exclusions', 'question_name'}
+            allowed_kwargs = set(instance_vars)
+            allowed_kwargs.update(additional_kwargs)
+            var_difference = set(kwargs.keys()).difference(allowed_kwargs)
             if var_difference:
                 raise QuestionValidationException(
                     "Received unsupported parameters/variables: {}".format(
                         var_difference))
             # Set question-specific parameters
             for var_name, var_value in kwargs.items():
-                instance_vars[var_name]['value'] = var_value
+                if var_name not in additional_kwargs:
+                    instance_vars[var_name]['value'] = var_value
 
         # Define signature. Helps with tab completion. Python3 centric
         if PY3:

Error out on default parameters
pybatfish lets me ask `bfq.nodeProperties("garbage")` and returns an answer happily. It should instead produce an error.
diff --git a/tests/question/test_question.py b/tests/question/test_question.py
index 55ed682..0246b08 100644
--- a/tests/question/test_question.py
+++ b/tests/question/test_question.py
@@ -273,3 +273,10 @@ def test_question_name():
     inferred_name = qclass()
     assert inferred_name.get_name().startswith(
         '__{}_'.format(TEST_QUESTION_NAME))
+
+
+def test_question_positional_args():
+    """Test that a question constructor rejects positional arguments."""
+    qname, qclass = _load_question_dict(TEST_QUESTION_DICT)
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError):
+        qclass("positional")

pip install -e .[dev,test]
parse_log_pytest
requirements.txt
pytest
apt-get update apt-get install -y gcc
3.6
requirements.txt
pytest --no-header -rA --tb=line --color=no -p no:cacheprovider -W ignore::DeprecationWarning
alabaster==0.7.13
anyio==3.6.2
argon2-cffi==21.3.0
argon2-cffi-bindings==21.2.0
async-generator==1.10
attrs==22.2.0
Babel==2.11.0
backcall==0.2.0
bidict==0.21.4
bleach==4.1.0
build==0.9.0
certifi==2021.5.30
cffi==1.15.1
charset-normalizer==2.0.12
check-manifest==0.48
comm==0.1.4
ConfigArgParse==0.15.2
contextvars==2.4
coverage==6.2
dataclasses==0.8
decorator==5.1.1
deepdiff==5.7.0
defusedxml==0.7.1
Deprecated==1.2.18
docutils==0.17.1
entrypoints==0.4
flake8==5.0.4
flake8-docstrings==1.6.0
flake8-import-order==0.18.2
idna==3.10
imagesize==1.4.1
immutables==0.19
importlib-metadata==4.2.0
iniconfig==1.1.1
ipykernel==5.5.6
ipython==7.16.3
ipython-genutils==0.2.0
ipywidgets==7.8.5
jedi==0.17.2
Jinja2==3.0.3
json5==0.9.16
jsonschema==3.2.0
jupyter==1.1.1
jupyter-client==7.1.2
jupyter-console==6.4.3
jupyter-core==4.9.2
jupyter-server==1.13.1
jupyterlab==3.2.9
jupyterlab-pygments==0.1.2
jupyterlab-server==2.10.3
jupyterlab_widgets==1.1.11
MarkupSafe==2.0.1
mccabe==0.7.0
mistune==0.8.4
mypy==0.971
mypy-extensions==1.0.0
nbclassic==0.3.5
nbclient==0.5.9
nbconvert==6.0.7
nbformat==5.1.3
nest-asyncio==1.6.0
netconan==0.12.3
notebook==6.4.10
numpy==1.19.5
ordered-set==4.0.2
packaging==21.3
pandas==1.1.5
pandocfilters==1.5.1
parso==0.7.1
passlib==1.7.4
pep517==0.13.1
pexpect==4.9.0
pickleshare==0.7.5
pluggy==1.0.0
prometheus-client==0.17.1
prompt-toolkit==3.0.36
ptyprocess==0.7.0
py==1.11.0
-e git+https://github.com/batfish/pybatfish.git@570de5864e949a647337100f5f4d14b2961cd71a#egg=pybatfish
pycodestyle==2.9.1
pycparser==2.21
pydocstyle==6.3.0
pyflakes==2.5.0
Pygments==2.14.0
pyparsing==3.1.4
pyrsistent==0.18.0
pytest==7.0.1
python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
pytz==2025.2
pyzmq==25.1.2
requests==2.27.1
requests-toolbelt==1.0.0
responses==0.17.0
Send2Trash==1.8.3
simplejson==3.20.1
six==1.17.0
sniffio==1.2.0
snowballstemmer==2.2.0
Sphinx==4.3.2
sphinx-rtd-theme==1.3.0
sphinxcontrib-applehelp==1.0.2
sphinxcontrib-devhelp==1.0.2
sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp==2.0.0
sphinxcontrib-jquery==4.1
sphinxcontrib-jsmath==1.0.1
sphinxcontrib-qthelp==1.0.3
sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml==1.1.5
terminado==0.12.1
testpath==0.6.0
tomli==1.2.3
tornado==6.1
traitlets==4.3.3
typed-ast==1.5.5
typing_extensions==4.1.1
urllib3==1.26.20
wcwidth==0.2.13
webencodings==0.5.1
websocket-client==1.3.1
widgetsnbextension==3.6.10
wrapt==1.16.0
zipp==3.6.0

name: pybatfish
channels:
  - defaults
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/main
  - https://repo.anaconda.com/pkgs/r
  - conda-forge
dependencies:
  - _libgcc_mutex=0.1=main
  - _openmp_mutex=5.1=1_gnu
  - ca-certificates=2025.2.25=h06a4308_0
  - certifi=2021.5.30=py36h06a4308_0
  - ld_impl_linux-64=2.40=h12ee557_0
  - libffi=3.3=he6710b0_2
  - libgcc-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libgomp=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - libstdcxx-ng=11.2.0=h1234567_1
  - ncurses=6.4=h6a678d5_0
  - openssl=1.1.1w=h7f8727e_0
  - pip=21.2.2=py36h06a4308_0
  - python=3.6.13=h12debd9_1
  - readline=8.2=h5eee18b_0
  - setuptools=58.0.4=py36h06a4308_0
  - sqlite=3.45.3=h5eee18b_0
  - tk=8.6.14=h39e8969_0
  - wheel=0.37.1=pyhd3eb1b0_0
  - xz=5.6.4=h5eee18b_1
  - zlib=1.2.13=h5eee18b_1
  - pip:
      - alabaster==0.7.13
      - anyio==3.6.2
      - argon2-cffi==21.3.0
      - argon2-cffi-bindings==21.2.0
      - async-generator==1.10
      - attrs==22.2.0
      - babel==2.11.0
      - backcall==0.2.0
      - bidict==0.21.4
      - bleach==4.1.0
      - build==0.9.0
      - cffi==1.15.1
      - charset-normalizer==2.0.12
      - check-manifest==0.48
      - comm==0.1.4
      - configargparse==0.15.2
      - contextvars==2.4
      - coverage==6.2
      - dataclasses==0.8
      - decorator==5.1.1
      - deepdiff==5.7.0
      - defusedxml==0.7.1
      - deprecated==1.2.18
      - docutils==0.17.1
      - entrypoints==0.4
      - flake8==5.0.4
      - flake8-docstrings==1.6.0
      - flake8-import-order==0.18.2
      - idna==3.10
      - imagesize==1.4.1
      - immutables==0.19
      - importlib-metadata==4.2.0
      - iniconfig==1.1.1
      - ipykernel==5.5.6
      - ipython==7.16.3
      - ipython-genutils==0.2.0
      - ipywidgets==7.8.5
      - jedi==0.17.2
      - jinja2==3.0.3
      - json5==0.9.16
      - jsonschema==3.2.0
      - jupyter==1.1.1
      - jupyter-client==7.1.2
      - jupyter-console==6.4.3
      - jupyter-core==4.9.2
      - jupyter-server==1.13.1
      - jupyterlab==3.2.9
      - jupyterlab-pygments==0.1.2
      - jupyterlab-server==2.10.3
      - jupyterlab-widgets==1.1.11
      - markupsafe==2.0.1
      - mccabe==0.7.0
      - mistune==0.8.4
      - mypy==0.971
      - mypy-extensions==1.0.0
      - nbclassic==0.3.5
      - nbclient==0.5.9
      - nbconvert==6.0.7
      - nbformat==5.1.3
      - nest-asyncio==1.6.0
      - netconan==0.12.3
      - notebook==6.4.10
      - numpy==1.19.5
      - ordered-set==4.0.2
      - packaging==21.3
      - pandas==1.1.5
      - pandocfilters==1.5.1
      - parso==0.7.1
      - passlib==1.7.4
      - pep517==0.13.1
      - pexpect==4.9.0
      - pickleshare==0.7.5
      - pluggy==1.0.0
      - prometheus-client==0.17.1
      - prompt-toolkit==3.0.36
      - ptyprocess==0.7.0
      - py==1.11.0
      - pycodestyle==2.9.1
      - pycparser==2.21
      - pydocstyle==6.3.0
      - pyflakes==2.5.0
      - pygments==2.14.0
      - pyparsing==3.1.4
      - pyrsistent==0.18.0
      - pytest==7.0.1
      - python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
      - pytz==2025.2
      - pyzmq==25.1.2
      - requests==2.27.1
      - requests-toolbelt==1.0.0
      - responses==0.17.0
      - send2trash==1.8.3
      - simplejson==3.20.1
      - six==1.17.0
      - sniffio==1.2.0
      - snowballstemmer==2.2.0
      - sphinx==4.3.2
      - sphinx-rtd-theme==1.3.0
      - sphinxcontrib-applehelp==1.0.2
      - sphinxcontrib-devhelp==1.0.2
      - sphinxcontrib-htmlhelp==2.0.0
      - sphinxcontrib-jquery==4.1
      - sphinxcontrib-jsmath==1.0.1
      - sphinxcontrib-qthelp==1.0.3
      - sphinxcontrib-serializinghtml==1.1.5
      - terminado==0.12.1
      - testpath==0.6.0
      - tomli==1.2.3
      - tornado==6.1
      - traitlets==4.3.3
      - typed-ast==1.5.5
      - typing-extensions==4.1.1
      - urllib3==1.26.20
      - wcwidth==0.2.13
      - webencodings==0.5.1
      - websocket-client==1.3.1
      - widgetsnbextension==3.6.10
      - wrapt==1.16.0
      - zipp==3.6.0
prefix: /opt/conda/envs/pybatfish

tests/question/test_question.py::test_question_positional_args
tests/question/test_question.py::test_min_length tests/question/test_question.py::test_valid_comparator tests/question/test_question.py::test_validate_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_validate_old_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_validate_allowed_values_list tests/question/test_question.py::test_validate_old_allowed_values_list tests/question/test_question.py::test_compute_docstring tests/question/test_question.py::test_compute_var_help_with_no_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_compute_var_help_with_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_compute_var_help_with_new_and_old_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_compute_var_help_with_old_allowed_values tests/question/test_question.py::test_process_variables tests/question/test_question.py::test_load_dir_questions tests/question/test_question.py::test_list_questions tests/question/test_question.py::test_make_check tests/question/test_question.py::test_question_name
pybatfish/question/question.py
pybatfish/question/question.py