I suppose English class demands more subjective questioning and answering. Such as 'what do you think of this or that?' Those subjective questioning can certainly make us more tense as our thought process is double burdened by the entangling pressure of coming up an answer and the fear of humiliation. I for one is more comfortable to initiate the conversation rather than answering. I think the point here is confident. You are confident in maths because you know what you going to ask and you know your answers.