Why do people think that statements answer a question?

Don't you hate it when people answer a question with another question?

Possibly because people think that their little sentence is going to be so highly concentrated and packed full of meaning that it will be remembered for generations and go down in history as one of the greatest 'quotes' on earth.

People's obsession with quotations can be seen in the numerous quotation finding sites and books that are produced with quotes in. Here are a few examples of such sites:

Because they are switched to transmit and not to receive. They are opinionated windbags who do not believe in interactive discourse. Then again, the question could be a stupid one, or perhaps, you are dealing with a politician.

The site is for the entertainment of an exchange between people with opinions and ideas, as well as questions & answers.

It's not MASTERMIND.

That's called rhetorical my friend. It gives the writer an opportunity to vent,

That's usually how the language works.

What would you prefer to have as an answer to a question?

They don't it's just a fast way to gain a couple points...

OOOh, Who rattled your cage.

Because they do.