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If you are honest...


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Melchang,

There may be more to this question in your mind, but you are not conveying the thought with your words. The questions says

If you are an honest person, what is one question you cannot answer with a "Yes" ?

The only terms that must be satisfied are:

1) Pose a question

2) Where "yes" cannot be the answer

3) Where the answer is honest

All of the questions Martini and I posted satisfy this.

If you think that there is more to it, I propose that you are making a logical connection in your own mind that didn't convey with the words - another term to be satisfied that you are taking for granted.

Think about it and get back to us. ;)

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WOW!! PLEASE DO SOME SERIOUS THINKING GUYS!! IF YOU LLOK AT THE QUESTION CAREFULLY YOU WILL REALISE THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN YOU SEE AT FIRST GLANCE!

Perhaps you are looking for the queston like:

Are you dead? If it's yes then he can't answer. But if it's no then he must answer no.

Writersblock your point is a good one. However, some of Martini's queston could be true. If you are standing on something you could be ten feet tall. The sky is green before bad storms.

Roses are red, violets are blue, grass is green, and dirt is brown

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I think Melchang wants us to think inside of a logical box.

That would lead to an answer like "Do you tell lies?"

Melchang, does that cover it?

Parable.

A Freshman physics student prized his freedom of approach when he solved problems. So when his final exam asked him to find the height of a building using only a barometer, his answer was to throw the barometer from the roof of the building and time the sound of its hitting the pavement. From the speed of sound and the acceleration due to gravity [ignoring air resistance] he could compute the building's height.

When the prof gave him a failing grade, he appealed. Upon being given a 2nd chance, he said he would tie the barometer to a long string and measure the period of the pendulum that made - again, from the building's roof - and compute the length of the pendulum. Anticipating another failing grade, he gave an additional answer: measuring the length of the barometer, the length of the shadow it cast on the ground and the length of the shadow cast on the ground by the building would give the answer using proportions. He got another failing grade.

He finally appealed to the Dean of the school. In a meeting among the three principals, the Dean gave the student one more shot at giving the "right" answer: measuring the barometric pressure on the sidewalk and on the roof and converting the difference in pressure to inches of air. A really stupid way to use a barometer and one that would require unimaginable precision. Nevertheless that was the answer the prof wanted.

The student would have none of it. He approached the Dean and gave his final solution:

"I would take the barometer to the basement of the building and knock on the superintendent's door. When he answered, I would say to him: 'Sir, I have this beautiful barometer, which I will give to you if you will tell me the height of this building.'"

The Dean gave the student an A.

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However, some of Martini's queston could be true. If you are standing on something you could be ten feet tall. The sky is green before bad storms.

It doesn't matter if they could be true. What matters is what is true at the time the question is asked. If the sky is not green when I'm asked the question (and it usually isn't), then I (an honest person [assuming we are defining "honest person" as one who always tells the truth to the best of his knowledge]) can't answer "yes". And I'm 5' 11" regardless of where I'm standing.

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In addition, the problem only defines the question as a question. It doesn't even limit it to a true/false or yes/no format. It's impossible to deduce what the original poster meant from his post. All of these assumed answers have taken the original post a step further and have incorporated their own limits and/or definitions to the problem and THEN they went about answering. I'd like to hear from the original poster what he or she had in mind from the original.

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Aaron is right!Are you dead? You CANNOT, at whatevaer point and in any situation honestly answer "yes", whereas all other questions can at some point be answered yes, according to situations and environments.

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Aaron is right!Are you dead? You CANNOT, at whatevaer point and in any situation honestly answer "yes", whereas all other questions can at some point be answered yes, according to situations and environments.

If we are looking at all situations and environments, you COULD possibly answer yes honestly to this question.

Say for instance there is a error and you are pronounced "legally dead" then answering yes would be correct and honest (legally speaking).

Then again...if you are asleep and you dream of someone asking you if you are asleep, you could also honestly answer yes. This throws my answer out the window too.

Using these and similar arguments, there isn't a question that fits the scenario in all situations

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whereas all other questions can at some point be answered yes, according to situations and environments.

No. What situation can I say yes to "Do you always lie?" or "Are you ten feet tall"?

Please consider other answers when you are given solutions that differ from the one you're looking for.

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How about...

"Do you refuse to answer this question"?

If he answers "Yes," he lies.

If he refuses to answer [attempting an affirmative response] he hasn't answered "Yes".

Melchang, are you saying this question can, at some point be answered yes, according to situations and environments?

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It doesn't matter if they could be true. What matters is what is true at the time the question is asked. If the sky is not green when I'm asked the question (and it usually isn't), then I (an honest person [assuming we are defining "honest person" as one who always tells the truth to the best of his knowledge]) can't answer "yes". And I'm 5' 11" regardless of where I'm standing.

B))

You are taller on the moon than you are on earth...

Next .. how about another good question... : Are you dishonest? This would assume that an honest person is always honest. I would say that I am an honest person though I have not always been.

Time to move on to a real puzzle.

-_-

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If you are an honest person, what is one question you cannot answer with a "Yes" ?

Obviously, the question is meant to be yes or no.

Also, if you are an "Honest" person, the one question you cannot answer Yes to, would be "are you a liar?", or a question that doubts the person's honesty. Its really not that hard to figure out.

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