Unanswerable questions

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What is the appropriate way to raise the question of whether a question is unanswerable? Is there a way to flag this, or is this brought up in the answers or comments?

One particular kind of "unanswerable question" I have in mind are questions along the lines of "what is the best way to learn X." For most elements of Esperanto, there is no one best way to learn it. People are different. Learning styles are different. Some methods work for some and not others. Some methods work more or less as well as others.

asked 2016-09-15T22:05:15.370

None

1I do not agree about the unanswerablitity of questions such "what is the best way to learn X". Studies and data can be used to bring more objective answers and useful information. Also, best ways to learn X do exist depending on the profiles of the learners. A good answer could show the most common profiles and the best methods associated with them.–None–2016-09-16T17:43:17.360

Answers

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Flag it for closure:

This question is completely unclear, incomplete, overly-broad, primarily opinion-based

The last two cover unanswerable questions.

In my opinion however, it is best to vote for closure only if the question is obviously silly and provocative, or the number of responses is getting out of hand, or there is a great deal of unpleasantness in the comments.

asked 2016-09-15T22:05:15.370

None

Thanks kind of what I was asking. There already are questions of the form "what is the best way to learn X" - and I would say that this question is clearly "unanswerable", since there is no single best way -- at the same time, it is not an "obviously silly" question, neither is it out of hand. I don't want to flag things unnecessarily.–None–2016-09-16T12:40:09.183

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If one can attempt an answer, as Vanege points out, based on facts, it isn't really unanswerable. If you feel for some reason that it is unanswerable, pointing that out in a comment is appropriate. (Unless one of the closing reasons apply).

If you attempt an answer, pointing out the unanswerability seems appropriate. Maybe the question was just improperly phrased and the way you answered clarified it.

asked 2016-09-15T22:05:15.370

None

0

There are 4 closing reasons that would apply to questions (excluding the duplicate reason):

  • unclear what you're asking
    The question is not clear, and it is not possible to understand what is being asked

  • too broad
    The question would require to write a too long answer, since it is not being specific enough

  • primarily opinion-based
    The question is asking the opinion of users, or it is subjective

In the case you are describing, a question asking for the best way is subjective: What is the best way for a person could not be the best way for somebody else. This is also true when learning a language: What helped me to learn a language could not be the best way for somebody else.

If none of the closing reasons applies, then the question should not be closed.

asked 2016-09-15T22:05:15.370

None