Should the only answer always be given Best Answer?

This is a question that has recently been posed by our good friend anon (see http://www.mahalo.com/answers/mahalo-answers-community/should-we-be-chastised-for-choosing-nba-when-there-is-only-one-answer-how-can-it-be-best-when-it-is-the-only ). To paraphrase and adapt my answer there: A "Best Answer" on Mahalo is one which fully addresses the question, or, does so as fully as possible if part of the question is not answerable. This is true even if there is only one answer.

The fact that one answer "nailed" the question so well that nobody else so any need to add other details or competing answers should not count against that one answer. If there is only one answer, then it is both "best" and "worst" at the same time but this is not relevant for "Best Answer" in the Mahalo sense, which only requires that a Best Answer provide a good complete answer. If there are two answers, both providing good complete responses to the question, both are Best-Answer-worthy, and the asker (or the community) should choose the better one as the Best Answer.

Semantically speaking, in such a case, the better one is also the best of the two. Thus, the bottom line is that the number of answers should not matter at all when selecting Best Answer or No Best Answer. If none of the answers (or if the single answer, as the case may be) provide(s) a good and complete response to the question as posed, then NBA is the appropriate response, rather than letting it just sit there.

If there is one answer, and that one answer is Best-Answer-worthy, you should select it as BA. If there are multiple answers, and one or more is BA-worthy, you should select the best of the lot as BA. If there are many poor answers and none are BA-worthy, again, you should select NBA.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.