# Trick Questions

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 21, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851 "2005-01-21T02:31:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 16

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**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851/301 "2005-02-01T17:39:06Z")

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That’s an old one. If a=b then in line 5 you’re dividing by a-b which is zero and thus an undefined operation.

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**Author:** ![LookingAround](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@LookingAround](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LookingAround)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851/302 "2005-02-01T20:33:26Z")

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Off the OP’s rules but seemingly the best place too put this, my son’s teacher gave him a “trick” question the other day “How many states are in the United States Of America” and surprisingly enough the answer was not 50… Why not?!? And is she wrong?

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851/303 "2005-02-01T21:00:29Z")

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> [@Askance](#):
>
> Well she was related to most of them: she was William Grenville’s aunt, Pitt the Elder’s wife, and so Pitt the Younger’s sister-in-law.

Almost. She was the wife, mother, sister and aunt of four different prime ministers.

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**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851/304 "2005-02-01T22:01:11Z")

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> [@LookingAround](#):
>
> Off the OP’s rules but seemingly the best place too put this, my son’s teacher gave him a “trick” question the other day “How many states are in the United States Of America” and surprisingly enough the answer was not 50… Why not?!? And is she wrong?

The United **States** of America…one?

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**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trick-questions/285851/305 "2005-02-01T22:39:38Z")

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> [@LookingAround](#):
>
> Off the OP’s rules but seemingly the best place too put this, my son’s teacher gave him a “trick” question the other day “How many states are in the United States Of America” and surprisingly enough the answer was not 50… Why not?!? And is she wrong?

There are 46 states and four commonwealths (Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky). If you’re wondering what the difference is between a state and a commonwealth, there isn’t much of one but that doesn’t mean the teacher can’t distinguish between them anyways.

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