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Rhetorical Questions

Updated on May 29, 2014

Questions without answers

A rhetorical question is a question that's asked with no expectation of a reply, either because the answer is obvious or because there is no answer.

Sometimes a rhetorical question is asked just to make someone think hard about the answer.

The following questions are all questions I've been thinking about for a long time. They are all meant to be rhetorical, but I've left a space for you to reply to each one anyways.

clouds
clouds

What does a cloud smell like?

What does a cloud smell like؟

To me, the simple answer would be "rain". I figure since rain comes from clouds, a cloud should smell like rain.

Or would a cloud smell like sunshine? After all, what's shining down on top of a cloud? Sunshine (but really, what does sunshine smell like?).

Who does God pray to?

Who does god pray to؟

I should start this out by stating that I'm not a religious person and I have very limited knowledge of the bible.

However, from what I understand, Jesus was Gods son and Jesus was strung up on the cross with nails and thorns. Now, here's where my question comes in. The first thing any parent does when they see their child suffering and in pain is pray.

So when God saw his child suffering on the cross, who did he pray to?

How does a deaf person think?

This question isn't really rhetorical since any deaf person can answer it, but it's something I've always wondered about, so I included it here.

When a deaf person thinks about a conversation they had, do they hear words or do they see hand movements? Actually, when they think of anything, do they see hand movements? I would guess they do. But I've been sitting here thinking about all the words and thoughts that stream through my mind, and it just seems impossible that they would just see hand movements (but how would they know words if they've never heard them?). And if a person is born deaf and they're not taught sign language, how do they think? I mean, do they have their own "words" for things, like their own language they use in their mind?

My husband just pointed out that a deaf person would use the same words because even though they can't hear, they can still read. But that makes me wonder too. Would they really be the same words since, never hearing them before, they wouldn't know how they sounded?

Do dogs smell "good smells" and "bad smells"?

I know a dogs sense of smell is like a hundred million times better than humans, so why do they insist on smelling nasty stuff like butts, poo and dead things? Do they even have a sense of "good smell" and "bad smell"? Or does the only thing their mind registers is that everything has a scent (not good and not bad)?

But, then again, if they don't know what "good" smells like, how do they know when to beg for treats?

A question from Sylvestermouse!

If you don't get an answer, was the question worth asking؟

A question from YourIslandRoutes

If we removed all the silent letters from words, would the words sound the same?

Photos and text; © 2010-2013 Catherine Taylor. All Rights Reserved

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

My answer is this:

"It most certainly is worth asking. If a question makes someone think a little harder about what the answer(s) could be, then the question has been answered, even if it's not spoken aloud or written down."

What do you think?

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