Do you have to know exactly why someone asks a question in order to properly answer it?

Question

If yes, how do you confirm your assumptions?

Answer 1

You know, I am really nauseated by the nonsensical questions on this site, nevertheless it provides such a great interactive conversation with the anonymous.  I love to answer and it is such a true and challenging place to practice writing.

Sure, I mean it does help to analyze, but we're sort of making an   ad hoc mandala in the proverbial square hole.  And establishing borders and boundaries for ourselves in the 'squared circle'.  aka 'boxing ring'...No circle has a rational area.

Answer 2

...no, i can ad lib...

Answer 3

No don't have to know, but it certainly helps.

Answer 4

I answer only those questions where I can sense the sincerity of the asker. If someone is merely asking as a self-indulgence, I click 'show me another'.

But if this is a more general question than Y!A, I think the same rule applies in life too. You generally sense a person's intentions, and can decide whether it deserves a 'thoughtful' response or something equally flippant.

Answer 5

Not at all. The motivation and intention behind the question is irrelevant to the answers to the question.

Answering a question "properly" is a bias though. There are sometimes more than one correct answer to a question.

Answer 6

it really depends on the question.  if someone asks me a question, one that i consider important, i would ask them why they want to know.  once i know the objective, i can give the best answer or say i'm not qualified to answer or if it's just an opinion they want, i always have one of those.

Answer 7

No.  A question is asked to get an

answer.  It's a waste of time and

energy to guess at the perspective

the question could originate.

It's the job of a person to

base the answer on experience

and/or research.  

Answer 8

Very often, yes, you do have to know. Many things can be read into questions of unknown origin. I've had questioners tell me I answered with a "straw man," when I actually thought I was answering correctly. He/she simply failed to give the needed info to prevent me from making that mistake.

Other times, when I can't tell the origin, the nature, of the question, I take a stab thinking I'm totally off the mark, and I wind up gettin Best by the questioner. I've had comments like, "wow, you are the only one who answered what I asked for."

Who could know? LOL