Which is not a yes or no question?
Which is not a yes or no question?
There are several options, but a simple yes or no are indeed ruled out. I think it is safe to say that negative questions are almost by definition not yes/no questions, but there are plenty of confusion-avoiding ways to answer when you want to deny the (negative) assumption. To confirm the assumption, either yes or no will do:
Why do people want to know the answer to a question?
Much of the time, this energy is wasted. The person who asks the question is not necessarily interested in the answer. Often, they simply want to know is that there is an answer, or that you know the answer. Sometimes all they want is to slow you up a little, while they think.
What does it mean when a question is negated?
If the question is negated, a negative response would trouble, challenge, or disorient the questioner or at least change their expectations. Otherwise the question is more neutral in tone. Of course, people in conflicts often use this hint backward, implying they would be troubled by the answer they want.
Is there a separation between affirmation and negation in English?
As mentioned by @oerkelens and suspected by the OP, part of the confusion when answering these formulations is that English does not have a separation between affirmation and negation with “yes” (where the French and some other languages do). However, there exists a very simple way to answer these questions unambiguously.
Do You Now look for the answers to your questions?
Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.” “I don’t get it,’ Caroline said, bemused.
Are there any serious questions with no answers?
“Indeed, the only truly serious questions are ones that even a child can formulate. Only the most naive of questions are truly serious. They are the questions with no answers. A question with no answer is a barrier that cannot be breached.
Why do people ask so many unanswerable questions?
“Perhaps depression is caused by asking oneself too many unanswerable questions.” “Questions are great, but only if you know the answers. If you ask questions and the answers surprise you, you look silly.” “The question is very understandable, but no one has found a satisfactory answer to it so far.
Do you ask questions that assume a certain answer?
We ask questions that assume a certain answer. (Shoot, sometimes we don’t even listen to the answers–we’re too busy presuming we’re right.) Here are some ways to ask the wrong questions: You lead the witness.
