3

I thought I knew what an answer was but it turned out I'm mistaken.

1) Q: What is 2+2: A: 5 - that is an answer
2) Q: What is 2+2: A: I'd like to know what 3+3 is - that is not an answer
3) Q: What is 2+2: A: enter 2+2 into your calculator - that is an answer
4) Q: What is 2+2: A: The way to find that out is to ask someone who knows how to add up - that is an answer

Am I mistaken? For a notorious non-answerer I thought not-an-answer was correct for 4, but after receiving a rejection, it seems I'm wrong, and see that other people are doing this too.

What is the correct response for 4)? A downvote only?

4
  • 1
    Could you post a direct link? 4) is okay if it's detailed enough, rather than a blunt 'go ask someone'.
    – JonathanReez Mod
    Apr 19, 2017 at 22:18
  • 2
    Obligatory MSE link: Your answer is in another castle: when is an answer not an answer?
    – Glorfindel
    Apr 20, 2017 at 7:51
  • That sort of conflicts with this: meta.stackexchange.com/questions/185073/… which says even wrong answers are answers
    – Berwyn
    Apr 20, 2017 at 8:06
  • @Glorfindel the "another castle" question you linked to is specifically opposed to answers in which the only useful information is hidden in a link, behind a meaningless word like "here" or "this", which is not exactly the same as an answer saying "ask someone who knows how to find the answer." In other words, that question is more concerned with hyperlinking in answers than with answers in general.
    – phoog
    Apr 24, 2017 at 19:55

1 Answer 1

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My personal two cents on this are as follows:

  1. Q: What is 2+2: A: 5 - that is an answer

Wrong answer -> downvote it

  1. Q: What is 2+2: A: I'd like to know what 3+3 is - that is not an answer

Not an answer -> flag it

  1. Q: What is 2+2: A: enter 2+2 into your calculator - that is an answer

Low quality answer -> downvote it

  1. Q: What is 2+2: A: The way to find that out is to ask someone who knows how to add up - that is an answer

Low quality answer -> downvote it

Now, I have looked at your denied flag for case n. 4 and I am not sure I agree with them being similar. The answer you flagged does not really say "ask someone who knows". Rather it says "another thing you might try is to contact this authoritative entity". IMHO this adds something to the other existing answers.

Having said this, one should note that very often low quality answers get deleted and/or transformed into comments. There are mixed opinions out there on whether this is or not the best practice. Maybe we should agree on such a policy, ensuring it is compatible with SE guidelines although this is probably a topic for another Meta QA.

3
  • The thing is, I was under the impression that not providing an answer but pointing the questioner somewhere else to go and find the answer, is not an answer. I presumed that the answerer should do that themselves and then provide the answer. That seems to be my misconception about what "not an answer" is, e.g. Q: What's the phone number for Tesco in Manchester: A: Look in www.yell.com. The answerer could have done that and provided the answer
    – Berwyn
    Apr 20, 2017 at 9:37
  • @Berwyn The question is not what's the number though. The question is how can I find/call the number.
    – JoErNanO Mod
    Apr 20, 2017 at 12:03
  • Ok, but it wasn't
    – Berwyn
    Apr 20, 2017 at 12:05

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