A transitive verb takes an object; an intransitive verb does not require one. This grammatical distinction becomes relevant in advanced objections concerning the proper bearer of an action.
The claim that every action must always possess a separately existing external agent can create difficulties for intransitive verbs, abstract actions and hypothetical utterances. The rhetorical question is about the proper attribution, not merely verb classification.
Grammar identifies the subject of the verb as constructed. Rhetoric asks whether that grammatical subject is also the proper bearer of the action under the intended usage.