When someone asks you a rhetorical question, do you answer?

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Happens to me all the time.
It happened just the other day at work. I was half way through answering when I realized, I wasn't meant to answer.
Oh well. Ho hum!

Something funny happened as well but I can't remember what that was.

I usually recognize rhetorical questions, but not always. People will usually repeat a question if they actually want an answer, so if I'm not sure, I'll sometimes not answer unless they ask again.

I have to realize that I speak to myself many times and that will include questions. And, it comes across as actual conversation sometimes. I've had people respond to me while I'm in my little alternate reality and don't realize what they're talking about until I ask.

So, I wonder if my verbal musings come across the same way a rhetorical question does.

And, now that it's mentioned, I wonder if some of the questions that people ask are rhetorical when they question makes no real sense to me.

I didn't understand what a rhetorical question was until my late teens. I had been told several times, but the idea behind it didn't sink in until I was at least 17.

This lead to many occasions where folk would make fun of me because I used to answer them.

I did, of course because I didn't know what they were or understand them.
My friend makes them a lot so she eventually told me, "You're not really supposed to respond to that,"
I can't point them out when I see them most of the time, but I think it's important to know the answer because eventually you'll come across a situation where you have to.

Yes. Even when the person says "this is a rhetorical question, don't try to answer it". I'll try to think of the answer, even if I manage not to say anything. Sad.

These days I can usually identify them. And, these days, I'm better than ever at thinking of clever answers to them.

It can be amusing to answer rhetorical questions, particularly if the person asking them uses them a lot in order to show off. This rather deflates them.

Of course, you have to know that it's a rhetorical question in the first place. Not always easy.

When a preacher/speaker at church or a teacher asks a rhetorical questions, I always flinch because I think they want an answer.

When I was little I thought they were actual questions & got accused by my teachers of being a smart-elec from answering them.

Generally, if someone is looking in my direction and asks anything that sounds like a question, I attempt to answer it. If told it didn't require an answer I usually will continue until I am satisfied that I have answered the original question to the best of my ability. I find the whole rhetorical question thing annoying...if they don't need an answer, then don't make it sound like a question.

My only indicator that something is rhetorical is when it just doesn't make sense. And, even then, I sometimes have to ask if it's rhetorical. I did ask that one time and was asked why I wouldn't think it was a real question. That caught me off guard.

Sometimes I know it's a rhetorical question, other times I don't. And sometimes I answer a rhetorical question to be funny or tease the person who said it.
As others have already said, I too occasionally think a question is rhetorical when it isn't.

I often can't tell if it is a rhetorical question so when i answer one i get bad comments thrown at me. Then i think a regular question is rhetorical and get in trouble for not answering it.