Thestupidest questions around are always those about evident things. This is a statement subjected to no debate. We all frowned about such a question at least once in our lives. Such questions, apparently rhetorical but actually far from being intended as such, can leave you paralyzed. Should you answer, should you just point at the answer, should you laugh, should you resent having to waste your energy?

The best thing to do is take the time to answer calmly and then be very careful not to later ask such a question yourself.

Let’s see some examples of such questions as the situations that make then so dumb. When a friend falls and starts crying, asking him if it hurts is definitely dumb and risky if the other person gets annoyed easily. If your mother starts screaming after she cuts her finger and you go into the kitchen and ask if she cut her finger don’t be surprised if she answers that she bit if off.

Asking for directions across the street from the place you want to go to is undoubtedly seen as dumb. Asking a help desk if it can help you with exactly what is posted in large letters above might also be considered dumb.

Self-evident questions aren’t the only dumb questions we should avoid. Other questions can be just as dumb depending a lot on the situations and circumstances in which you choose to ask your question. There are also some dumb questions that are stupid no matter the circumstance.

A perfect example is asking: “What do batteries run on?” This question’s only chance of not annoying others is the fact that it’s quite funny and could make anybody laugh out loud and then worry about the way they look in the situation.

Dumb questions can also be used as voluntary jokes and you don’t have to seem stupid if you tell it as a joke. If you ask what should you tell God if while you’re talking with him He sneezes. This is guaranteed to make people laugh and the only person who would perceive you as stupid simply has no sense of humor or has not got the joke, which doesn’t tell us something good about him.

Other funny question that seem silly can actually be perceived as whit. If you ask: “If crime doesn’t pay does that mean that my job is a crime?”, people will laugh and appreciate your elaborate sense of humor.

Back to truly dumb questions, there’s one more we should make sure to always avoid are the inappropriate ones. Don’t ask your father-in-law what you would ask your best friend and don’t ask your lover what you would ask your mother.