Why does yahoo answers?

This place was based on Google Answers, and those people paid real money to ask questions. If it is important enough to you, you'll 'spend' 5 points to ask it

Don't view it as punishment. It is simply a price. Most of the points are returned if you follow though and select a best answer. That's 3 points back out of 5 so it only cost you two points. That means you only have to answer one question to "pay" for your question. That sounds pretty fare-- give an answer to get an answer. If it goes to a vote and there is no best answer you get your 5 points back.

I have seen scores with negative values so I don't think it is a penalty at all.

It's not punishment. It's 'payment'.

The site is called 'Yahoo! Answers', NOT 'Yahoo! Questions'. The point is to ANSWER questions, not ask them.

The 'point' of charging you for asking is so that you 'spend' your points wisely and don't waste them asking trivial questions. And also to encourage you to GIVE TO the site (by answering others and earning points) as well as taking from it.

It's also an anti-spamming and anti-trolling measure. If asking were 'free', users could flood the site with worthless clutter, which diminishes the value of the site for those who have ACTUAL questions and answers to post.

They don't punish you for asking a question.

However, from the amount of young viewers on this page, they do have to remove questions that are deemed too controversial or inappropriate for those viewers.

You cannot answer a question of this type if one does not know the question. I see a lot of questions that should not be allowed and categories that should not be used, those that have to do with personal health, about a female period, am I pregnant etc.