the other annoying thing about "4 ÷ 2 x 2 = ???" questions, whether they're presented as tests of math or IQ
is that asking followup questions for clarification is a crucial life skill in basically every job and activity. we all have a story about the coworker who didn't. and the story is not about how happy everyone was to not be bothered.
we should not, in fact, be teaching the children that intelligence means correctly guessing the intent of an ambiguous request
It's really depressing when you realize how many performance, success, and quantity metrics are just "do you interpret this ambiguous thing the same way I do without asking for clarification?" Especially around intelligence and ability.