10
$\begingroup$

There is no question. There is text:

Ewen road worthiness

How many words are in the answer?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
0

8 Answers 8

Reset to default
16
$\begingroup$

Nice anagram.

The answer is one word.

This either means that the answer is...

one (the literal interpretation of the anagram)

or perhaps...

two (the answer = "one word")

I don't think it is ...

5 - Given that "There is no question", the sentence itself is not the answer

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
9
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ This actually implies that the answer is seven. $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Apr 12, 2016 at 16:02
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @IanMacDonald It's the 5 words that are in the second line that compose the anagram. The first part is (mostly) just a comment, and partly there to fulfill the character requirement :) $\endgroup$
    – charfellow
    Apr 12, 2016 at 16:20
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @charfellow, you may have revealed a sentence hidden by an anagram, but it does not answer the question. $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Apr 12, 2016 at 16:46
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Patrice But (the thing you're worried about revealing) is one of the tags in the question. $\endgroup$
    – question_asker
    Apr 12, 2016 at 17:37
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @question_asker I had considered having it outside spoilers, but thought at first (like Patrice) it might be spoilery. Given a second look at your comment though, I'm inclined to agree with you (and f"). $\endgroup$
    – charfellow
    Apr 12, 2016 at 17:50
14
$\begingroup$

It's quite obvious that

there are two words in "the answer"

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ This doesn't fulfill the "anagram tag" but I agree it's quite obvious. +1 $\endgroup$
    – Raystafarian
    Apr 13, 2016 at 18:43
  • $\begingroup$ @Raystafarian dang it, I missed the anagram tag $\endgroup$
    – Kevin
    Apr 13, 2016 at 18:44
13
$\begingroup$

How many words are in the answer?

Never mind the quoted text.
The answer to this question is always "one".
Because the answer is a number, and no number other than one is written with as many words as its value.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
  • $\begingroup$ Or it could be "Two words", "There are four words", "There are seven words in the answer", ... $\endgroup$
    – Florian F
    Jul 23, 2017 at 12:12
4
$\begingroup$

I'm drawn to the statement:

There is no question

That would lead me to the logical conclusion that:

There can be no answer.

The naive interpretation would be:

0 - because there is no answer, so it has no words

However,

this would be an answer and therefore imply a question - so maybe you should smile and nod and walk away rather than answer a question that doesn't exist

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ If you look closely at the last line or title of the puzzle, you may be able to see a question hidden amongst the letters. $\endgroup$
    – Ian MacDonald
    Apr 12, 2016 at 23:39
  • $\begingroup$ There is? I see a question mark, but it can't belong to a question because the title tells me so :) $\endgroup$
    – user208769
    Apr 28, 2016 at 16:23
2
$\begingroup$

Based on charfellow's answer

The answer is one word.

The answer would be

Five.

But, since

Five is an answer as well, the answer becomes "One", which can't be reduced further.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
$\begingroup$

This could be an anagram for:

nod answer otherwise - or - otherwise nod answer

either of which would be

a single word "yes" for "nod" or "no" for "nod otherwise" to which I would answer "one word".

or it could be

"zero words", since either head movement would be a gesture - no word at all.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
$\begingroup$

Others have stated that this answer is the naive interpretation which instantly lead me astray. That said, let's examine two key things you have said. You have stated:

There is no question.

and asked

How many words are in the answer?

From what I see, everything you say outside of those two statements is irrelevant.

With no question, there is no answer. So, the answer is: 0.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ How many teeth does a human on Mars have? There is no human on Mars, so a human on Mars has zero teeth. The moral of the story is don't go to Mars without dental insurance. $\endgroup$
    – Fax
    Apr 13, 2016 at 11:46
  • $\begingroup$ @Fax Nice argument. Just because a x b = 0 doesn't mean both a and b are 0. $\endgroup$
    – cst1992
    Apr 13, 2016 at 13:18
1
$\begingroup$

I know this is wrong but my answer is

27

Because

there are exactly 27 words in my answer if you count a number as one word.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.